Useless Shielder
by Serpent Tailed Angel
Summary: The joy of being summoned into the world of one's favorite game is cut short when Motoyasu realizes that he's been summoned as the Shield Hero.
1. The Complacency of the Shield Hero

Without a doubt, he stood in the spawning point for new players. It also served as a respawn for if you died in the zone around Melromarc Castle Town, and Motoyasu had been slow on the uptake when first introduced to Emerald Online. He was more familiar with the room than he cared to admit.

But what was he doing physically standing in that room? Last he remembered, he had been slumped over on his kitchen floor, attempting to reach out to Momiji and Ikuyo as they tried to kill one another, everything growing dark and cold. He didn't appear to be dead. No stab wounds anywhere. Was he in some sort of coma dream? Or maybe... he had more than two girlfriends. If Momoji and Ikuyo could be driven to attack him, what if one of the others had found him defenseless and abducted him? He'd read about stalkers trying to live out crazy fantasies before. Except he didn't have any gamer girls in his life currently.

"Oh wow..."

Motoyasu turned his head towards the voice and saw three other people standing next to him. A black-haired boy with feminine features inspecting a sword, a mild-mannered looking boy with fair hair who tested the string of a bow, and another black-haired boy with a plain face who tried his hardest to drop a spear from his hand.

Those were all pretty standard weapons in Emerald Online.

"What's all this?" The one with the bow asked.

But the question that most unnerved Motoyasu was the spear wielder asking, "Where are we?"

People in his dreams didn't ask sensible questions. If this was some sort of elaborate setup in real life, why would people who _didn't_ recognize the setting be abducted along with him?

But when a man in robes cried out, "Oh, heroes! Please save our world!" it all began to fall into place.

There was still a little confusion at first, but it quickly became apparent that this wasn't some stalker scenario, nor did it feel fake.

Motoyasu hadn't dated too many otaku, but he'd heard one complain about scenarios like this being overdone in light novels. Everything going dark as you think your dying regrets, and then waking up in a fantasy. Didn't you sometimes reincarnate as your character though? Motoyasu placed a hand over his chest and looked down to confirm that he was still male. Flat chest? Check. Blond bangs? Check. Shield on his arm? That wasn't on the list of things to confirm, but there it was.

Why was there a shield glued to his arm? Motoyasu grabbed it and pulled, but only succeeded in getting it attached to his hand.

As the sword and bow wielders talked back to their summoners, Motoyasu stared helplessly at his hand and wondered why he would be stuck with a shield of all things. This was Emerald Online, wasn't it? Shielders were useless. The summoners must have botched the ritual. They would be just as well off only having summoned the other three. Still being alive after taking two knives to the torso and being left to bleed out was nice and all, but he wasn't exactly in the same position of strength as the others. How could he demand proper compensation for saving the world when he wasn't able to contribute?

He looked back helplessly at the other three. For some reason, the spear wielder smiled at him as if they were confidants.

Come to think of it, the spear wielder had been silent as well. Why? Spears were a great weapon. He could easily throw his weight around. Was he the overly noble type who risked himself for others just because he was asked nicely?

"You don't want to ask for anything?"

"They seem pretty desperate, don't you think?" the spear wielder replied,

Motoyasu thought that was the perfect time to ensure your good will wasn't abused, but whatever. If someone better equipped was willing to let others walk all over him, then fewer people might place too high of expectations on a shielder.

-o-

"Jeez." Motoyasu threw himself on one of the beds, already done with the day. "I get to reincarnate into Emerald Online, and I'm stuck playing a shielder. What kind of luck is that? The cutie who showed us to our room barely gave me a second glance after she saw which hero I was. It's like chick repellent."

"Are shielders bad?" Naofumi asked. "I've played a few games with tanks. They're harder to get the hang of, but they have their place in the meta."

"Yeah, and that place is rock bottom. The shielder is a total loser class," Motoyasu told him. "They have better defense at low levels, but once you've gained enough exp to play seriously, better equipment make you obsolete. There's no option to change your class once you're locked into it either, save to pick a more specialized version during class-up. It's basically useless unless you want to invite a non-gamer friend to play with you for the afternoon. Man, I'll be useless within a few weeks, won't I?"

"You don't sound _that_ torn up about it," Naofumi noted.

"Well, the spear's a pretty good weapon, so you should be able to pick up the slack for me."

Naofumi made a face like he wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or pleased, and looked to Ren and Itsuki for confirmation.

"It is one flaw in the game that you can't change classes," Itsuki said. "You have to restart your save file if you make a mistake like picking the shielder."

"Save file?" Ren asked. "What on earth are you talking about. There are no save files in Brave Star Online."

"_Emerald_ Online," Motoyasu corrected.

"Never heard of it."

"Um..." Naofumi scratched bashfully at his cheek. "I haven't heard of any of these games. Are they anything like Fantasy Moon Online? Or... maybe not. Nothing we've seen so far sticks out to me as resembling that game. The UI when you use status magic is completely different too."

"Now _that_ one I've never heard of."

"Really!? But it's huge. You don't even have to be a gamer to know about it."

"I don't know what you two are talking about discussing online games. Dimension Wave is played on a console."

"You're all wrong. If anything, this is a VRMMO."

Motoyasu looked at Ren as if he were insane. Or, more likely, some sort of chuuni. "No way. Even If we suppose, for a moment, that we're in an online game, it still has to use a mouse or controller."

It was a the most rational, uncontestable statement any of them made since the whole bizarre argument began, yet somehow Ren looked lost hearing it.

"A mouse? A controller? What kind of antique games are you guys talking about? These days, aren't all online games VRMMO?"

He was _too _persistent in that fact, and too stunned when told that the concept was the stuff of fiction. As Naofumi slowed them all down to clarify that none of them had the same experience prior to being summoned, theories started to form in Motoyasu's mind. If you allowed for the possibility of being summoned to another world, that opened up the door for just about anything else.

The four of them stayed up late, working through what they knew until they had it determined that they weren't merely from different points in Japan's history, but all from entirely separate worlds. Discussion drifted from their to how they all came to be summoned into Melromarc. Motoyasu wasn't familiar enough with the type of story he stumbled into to know how relatable his experience had been, but it must have been a pretty typical way for a person to die before being sent to another world, because Ren guessed it before Motoyasu could get more than halfway through the story. With Ren too, although he never specified, Motoyasu got the sense that he'd been stabbed. As for Itsuki, his account was the only one Motoyasu recognized. His otaku girlfriend had a nickname for that exact scenario. The only anomaly was Naofumi.

"Why did the rest of us have to die if all the Spear Hero had to do was pick up a book?" Motoyasu griped. He could still feel his heart rate pick up just recalling the look in Ikuyo's eyes as she drove that knife into his chest. Living in Emerald Online was a nice compensation for dying, but if he could enter the game _without_ dying then obviously that was preferable.

"Well, he didn't set himself up for failure the same way you did," Ren said.

"Why don't you come a bit closer and say that again?"

"What are you going to do? Duel me for your honor? You're a shielder."

Prick. Motoyasu fixed Ren with a glare that he hadn't fully wiped from his expression by the time he returned his attention to Naofumi.

"Um... I don't really know why my experience was different."

"Hmph."

Well, _whatever_. That just meant Naofumi would be less prepared than the heroes who had already faced down death.

As a shielder, Motoyasu was doomed to failure, but he took solace in knowing he wasn't the only one facing a steep disadvantage. Itsuki and Ren might be able to compete to be the best hero. The most noble. The one who everyone would look too as having ultimately played the most pivotal role. But perhaps Motoyasu wouldn't be the only one who people looked at and asked, "Was there even a point in summoning him?"

Eager to move the conversation past deaths, Naofumi asked, "How does party selection go, since you guys know what you're getting into."

"You build your whole party and select their classes whenever you create a new file."

"Ignore him. You make a character. You form a party by meeting other players. You start as a general adventurer and don't have to pick a specialty until you hit level 40 and need to go through a class-up. That unlocks all the abilities that come with that class, and you're stuck with a choice regardless of when you make it. Although..." Motoyasu opened up his status menu and made a face at the line announcing his class. "It seems that being heroes automatically forces us to pick the class that specializes in our given weapon at level 1."

With a fake sigh, Ren said, "Shielder _was_ one of the original four classes when Brave Star Online first released. Once of us had to draw the short stick and be assigned it."

"Oh. Your game only added the other classes later too?" So the UI and a few system-specific mechanics varied, but it seemed that their games were roughly equivalent, and that any instances of the world varying from the game Motoyasu knew-such as the status menu opening through gestures rather than clicking the escape key- were just a matter of some other medium being able to best emulate how those features would manifest in real life.

With that in mind, he looked to Itsuki.

"DLC."

"That's all fascinating, but it sounds like we're the only ones summoned and we're not supposed to form a party together. There isn't some event at the start of the game where a king assigns you party members?"

"Nope."

"Of course not."

"In Dimension Wave, your entire party is formed before the king has you brought to the throne room."

"So him arranging party members for us isn't part of a game script, and we have no idea what to expect."

It seemed obvious enough to Motoyasu that they expect a general group of adventurers. Probably whoever from the adventurer's guild agreed to show up at the castle after some guard ran down to the building to ask for volunteers after the heroes were introduced. The king hadn't exactly struck Motoyasu as someone who could put together a competent force for battle or lead a campaign with any semblance of competence.

Speaking of which...

"Did anyone else think that king was a bit on the senile side?"

"He seemed poised to me," Itsuki said.

"Really? He couldn't remember four whole names right after he heard them!"

"That's right," Naofumi said with a grin that suggested he wanted to be punched. "He forgot yours, didn't he?"

"Five seconds after I said it!"

"That was a little strange," Naofumi agreed. "But once we have our party members, we'll only have to worry about the king whenever we return here to deal with the waves, won't we?"

-o-

Motoyasu found himself standing alone in the throne room the next morning, the adventurers having gathered behind every hero except for him.

"Huh? How come I'm the only one without party members?"

What the hell! The other three all got to play as classes that could solo with ease! Why did everyone line up with them and not him? Surely the point of brining in party members was to ensure that all of the heroes were able to get stronger, right? Right? _Right?_

No. He knew why. These people _lived_ in the world of Emerald Online. The uselessness of a shielder wasn't merely something they could read about in forums. It was a part of the reality they lived with. Parents probably warned their daughters not to run off with shielders because of how little they had to offer as men.

He was so fucked. Or rather, he would not be fucked at all while the stupid shield remained stuck to his arm.

Motoyasu had staked his odds on the fact that half the point of MMOs was the social aspect. This was a world where you knew you were looking at the real deal rather than an avatar that might even be gender-swapped. He'd thought that enough charm might make up for the fact that he was a load who could only contribute during the earliest stretch. Sure, it made sense for the king to collect strong fighters to support them, and a lot of them probably didn't need a level 1 shielder to have their backs... But why summon a shielder then!? He could have been given a different class! Like... Like... Mage! Emerald Online let you use axes and claws and whips too! Why did he have to get stuck with a shield!?

Yet when Ren boasted about how he didn't care for party members, his own recruits groups up closer to him, and Itsuki dismissed the idea wholesale with some bull about how it might destroy morale if they asked the adventures to please support the one hero who _needed_ party members. And Naofumi, the bastard, glanced at the three girls who had lined up behind him and then looked back at Motoyasu as if appraising a rival!

"Crap! I know shielder is a losing class, but you guys can't really expect me to get any stronger without party members!"

Caught up as he was in nervously checking his stats to confirm that his attack was at 0 (his old character had started off with 16!) he almost missed when a wonderful voice said, "I can assist the Shield Hero."

"Are you sure?"

Motoyasu looked up to scowl at Itsuki as he tried to convince the hottest of his party members, a buxom woman with a gorgeous face and stunning red hair, that she ought to leave the least fortunate hero without any offensive power to speak of.

"Yes."

If all women were angels, then this beauty was an arch-angel! Pure divinity! The greatest of the great, both in looks and in the kindness that overflowed from her heart! To put herself in a worse position to help a pitiful shielder elevated her to the status of sainthood. Motoyasu determined that he would cherish her like no other. All he was good for was taking attacks for others, so if he had to lower himself as to let a woman attack for him, he would at least ensure that he did his part in preventing her from ever getting so much as a single scratch on her soft skin.

With only a single party member at his side, even if the other heroes were callous bastards, the king took pity on Motoyasu and granted him additional funds. With that, he could afford to outfit himself and the gorgeous Myne who allied herself with him in gear you usually couldn't obtain at the start of the game. They might even have money left over to commission other adventurers to team up with them so Myne wouldn't have to work so hard.

He had drawn the short stick as a hero, but it seemed everything would turn out alright.

-x-

**STA:** I know someone else already did a "Motoyasu is the Shield Hero" oneshot, but Aneko also did a too-short story exploring that concept, and after painstakingly looking up all the kanji in to figure out what it said despite the fact that I can't read Japanese for shit and then listening to discord muse about how fucked everyone was in that scenario, I had too many plot bunnies. So since it's now semi-canon that being betrayed by Myne after 24 hours isn't as sanity-ending for Motoyasu as being betrayed by her after like 4 months and staking all hopes on her while in dire straights, here's an attempt at a story where he's the shield hero and the world isn't completely fucked for it, but is slightly more fucked than if the Shield Hero was someone cautious and competent.

Gonna try and skim through things that aren't to different from the main story so I can hurry up and get to what happens after stuff significantly diverges. (I wonder if I made the second scene too long?)

Um… I generally dislike honorifics in fics, but I dislike how much OPB uses "Mr." More, so I'm going to just… use them in this fic.


	2. The Angel and the Demon

**STA:** I don't like having only one chapter posted, but I also don't like super rapid updates, just because of how stressful a writing schedule that is. Still figuring out if I'm going to shoot for updating weekly or every other week, but for now, have a chapter two.

-x-

Myne was already level 13, which made Motoyasu feel ten times worse about his own level, even though everyone started at level 1. Here he was determined to defend a girl who likely had higher defense than him.

"I'm surprised, Hero-sama. I hadn't expected you to be so familiar with party registration."

"Activating status magic feels weird, but the screen is more or less the same as the menus from back home. My party would pick up temporary members all the time. I've done this enough that I could register people in my sleep."

"We're lucky to have such well informed heroes."

Three out of four were informed, anyway. Too bad the ignorant one couldn't get the shield. Motoyasu was confident that, if he had that spear in hand, he'd be able to level up with it and collect the best weapons far faster than Naofumi could. Hell, Naofumi probably didn't even know which spear skills were for long or short range fighting.

No helping it now. You couldn't change your job once it was selected, and none of them had been given a choice as to what role they were assigned. He couldn't contribute as a hero, but if people treated him like one anyway, he could at least have fun living in the world of Emerald Online. He could build a party, go on adventures, and pitch in just enough with his trusted allies for people to hopefully not realize how worthless he was during the waves. If he couldn't go down in legend as a great hero, he could at least enjoy himself.

"Right then. First thing's first is equipping ourselves."

The game only had one NPC operated weapons shop in each city, with guilds having the ability to set up their own stores. If you looked at summoned heroes as 'players' and translated NPCs into 'people already living in this world' then there ought to only be one store, so Motoyasu headed for it. The city contained a number of side streets he didn't recognize from the game map, but the game developers weren't going to waste time building residential spaces for non-plot relevant NPCs while people in this world had to live somewhere. The world was like an expanded upon version of the game, full of details that limitations of the medium kept him from experiencing before.

Despite the slight differences in the city, he came upon the store soon enough.

"I'm impressed, Hero-sama. Without even asking, you knew to pass up lower quality stores and found the best smith in the city!"

They passed up other stores? Why didn't those places put up _signs_?

Well, there was a sign above most doors, and they even resembled those from the game. But if you clicked on the sign in game, you were told what it said in plain Japanese. It hadn't occurred to Motoyasu until that moment that writing _wasn't_ translated for him.

No matter. Myne could always read the signs aloud and the shield would translate whatever she said.

Motoyasu selected a set of chainmail for himself that he knew would be useful for a good long while and left it up to Myne to make purchases. Although there was a show piece that was practically a metal bikini within their budget, she played off his suggestion that she wear it as a joke. (If he was there to defend her, she didn't need the best armor!) Since that failed, he passed her the funds the king gave him so she could choose her own gear and haggle. Girls were all about shopping, so best to leave it to them. While she found suitably cute armor, he inspected the collection of shields the store had to offer.

Regrettably, while he had been able to hold a sword to inspect it as a potential pick for Myne, the moment he contemplated using it himself, it shot from his hand with an electric jolt. He'd suspected as much. Shielders weren't allowed to use regular weapons, and he couldn't change his class with the Holy Shield glued to him. Still, it never hurt to try.

Real weapons were a no-go, but at least he stood something to gain from the shields the store had to offer. He grabbed one that he knew had better stats, wondering if his current shield would let him uses others of its kind, and received a notice that the Weapon Copy system had successfully registered the shield.

Motoyasu cast a glance the store owner's way, then quietly picked up the next shield to copy as well. All products were staying on shelves, so he wasn't stealing. He was one of the heroes summoned to save the world anyway. It was reasonable that he be allowed to take whatever they needed to do their job, especially if it was at no cost to those who provided. By the time Myne finished outfitting herself and passed him the remains of their funds, Motoyasu had registered every shield in the store.

"How much is left?" he asked her.

"It might not be enough to hire any mercenaries to work with us, but so long as you keep me safe, I can take down anything for you."

It was admirable of her to say so, but even if he stood in front and blocked any attacks, he felt bad making a girl do all the fighting for him.

Motoyasu checked the purse and saw that, indeed, they would be hard pressed to commission anyone to fight with them for long. But no matter! If he picked the right people to recruit, he was sure he could persuade them to stay for the mission, and for the friendships they forged.

Even without paying anyone, getting their levels up and then going to the adventurer's guild to announce they were looking for more members ought to be enough. Collecting women was never hard, and with a cutie like Myne, although he wasn't keen on sharing her, they could recruit a male party member easily enough. The party would regrettably need at least one more guy in it. Motoyasu couldn't attack, and expecting women to deal with all the gory parts of fighting was too much.

It would all work out in the end. They needed decent levels first, but he knew the right areas to quickly level up.

"Come back again," the shopkeeper called out as they left, and Motoyasu gave a half-nod in acknowledgment.

If they wanted more sales, they should get a cute girl to work the front of the store. Which shops had the cutest NPC models in Emerald Online? Motoyasu's hadn't paid enough attention to that, writing NPCs off as, well, NPCs. Drooling over NPCs was for losers who couldn't get _real_ girls. Now that the game had become reality, he was woefully unprepared to pick the best stores to give his regular business to.

Zeltobe would have the best weapon's shops anyway. Once he and Myne made it far enough, they would do their business there regardless of what the store clerks in Melromarc looked like.

-o-

Level grinding went well.

Myne had been overly generous in how she discussed Motoyasu's abilities, praising how he was oblivious to the fact that a balloon hooked itself on his leg and chewed for five whole minutes while his attention was on protecting her pretty face from scratches.

He thought that they still ought to be able to do damage with his defense stat... But he was also pretty sure that _he_ ought to be able to damage balloons! Wasn't their defense 0? He read somewhere that they were the only monster with a defense of 0! They had so little HP too, and even with an attack of 0 he definitely punched one enough times that it ought to have died! Even without a proper weapon, you could deal damage in Emerald Online, so what gave!? He never played as a shielder, nor did he know anyone foolish enough to pick that role and not immediately make a new account. Maybe they had some sort of hidden stats that messed with their ability to inflict damage.

"Cheer up, Hero-sama. Weren't you able to raise your level higher than we'd hoped in one day?"

"Mm..."

Motoyasu glanced at the number in the corner of his field of vision. Level 9 wasn't bad for one day, especially when you were doomed to a lower exp haul for never being able to land a finishing blow. Even sticking to areas where monsters were too weak to damage him, they had taken on things worse than balloons by the end of the day.

But if he were able to fight for himself, and if he had a party filed with people who could deal damage, they could have mowed through monsters faster. Level 9 wasn't bad for a newbie, but it was slow for an experienced player. Just glancing across the room, he could see Itsuki talking confidently with his party members. That was the face of someone who accomplished at least as much as they'd hoped to.

"Those two are probably way higher than me already..."

"Two?"

Well, only two of them knew where to go if they wanted to raise their level properly. But even Naofumi might have surpassed him. The advantage of plentiful party members and a weapon you could actually use was too much. It was practically cheating!

...Perhaps he was chosen for the worst weapon because he was the best hero. The gods of video games knew he could handle the handicap better... or something like that. Just think of how screwed a know-nothing like Naofumi would be if he couldn't coast on an easy weapon. Motoyasu had a better sense of what he needed in party members, and where to not even bother spend his time and effort when it would ultimately be a wash in the long run.

Motoyasu liked the thought, but the reality of the situation was that the shield was too great a handicap. It was only a matter of time before even at near identical levels, Myne's defense would match his.

"Hero-sama?"

Motoyasu looked up from his stats to see a dazzling smile. Truly, Myne was the most gorgeous of all the women he'd been with. If nothing else, he was lucky that she, of everyone the king gathered, came to him.

In her outstretched hand was a glass of wine. Motoyasu took it with a light smile. He could use a drink, if for no other reason than that he'd been forced into the worst class.

"A toast. To a day of fruitful training."

The wine was sweeter than any he had in Japan. Although, come to think of it, the kind of parties where he sometimes woke up with in an unfamiliar bed with a cute girl whose name he couldn't remember served cheap beer. It was only on the rare occasion that his parents arranged for him to network with business women that he had a glass of wine.

The rule at those meetings was a single glass. Ruining job prospects meant allowance cuts. He'd even be told once that making a bad impression with someone from his parents' own company, if damaging enough, would result in him needing a part-time job to pay food bills. But Myne refilled his glass, and no one was going to fire him from being a hero over drinking a second glass-regrettably. Motoyasu brought the wine again to his lips.

As the Shield Hero, he was useless. If all he could do was enjoy the ride, he would enjoy it too the fullest.

-o-

Fantasy worlds needed Do Not Disturb signs for their inns. The people banging on Motoyasu's door did _nothing_ for his hangover.

He pushed himself up and gave his room a groggy look around. No signs that he had brought anyone up to his room with him. It seemed he drank too much with Myne. Hopefully that hadn't loosened his tongue so much that she rethought working with him.

The door burst open before he could finish shuffling through increasingly hazy memories, and armed men grabbed at him.

"You're to come with us to the castle. _Now._"

"H-Hang on. Let me grab..."

Motoyasu starred at an empty armoire across from the bed.

He had no recollection of how he came to be in his room. In fact, he only assumed the room was his. He couldn't recall things like taking his armor off or where he left his belongings. He was in an undershirt, there was only one storage unit in the room, and the doors to it were wide open so all could see it contained nothing. His chainmail was gone. His jacket was gone. His pendant was gone. His jeans were gone. His coin purse was gone.

Stunned by this revelation, Motoyasu offered no resistance as he was dragged from the room.

His items from Earth were of little consequence. The clothes would likely be out of style by the time he made it home, and the necklace's best quality was that out didn't look as cheap as it was. But the armor had been good quality, and with only a single party member and the remains of his funds stolen, it would take a long time to replace.

The ability to purchase better starting equipment was the only edge he had, and just like that, it was gone. Any fantasies Motoyasu held of snot being the worst hero went up in smoke in the blink of an eye. He had never been in the running to be the number one hero, but he'd at least had a chance to compete with Naofumi for third place. Now he was firmly relegated to the position of 'definitely the worst' in the eyes of everyone he was allegedly meant to save.

Through the haze of his headache, it occurred to Motoyasu that the king might grant him more funds. Yet the way the guards dragged him before the king was not the tender consideration one showed an honored guest.

Standing beside the throne, looking down at Motoyasu as he was tossed before them, were the other three heroes.

"What's going on?" Motoyasu asked before he saw one more important face hiding behind Itsuki. "Myne!"

At his call, she took a step forward. But she didn't stray from Itsuki's reach. Tears streaked her lovely face. If Itsuki had forced her back to his-!

"The Shield Hero was drunk. He burst into my room saying 'the night is still young' and forced me down on the bed."

Itsuki's already cold face curled in a snarl while Ren and Naofumi looked at Myne in shock before turning too gape at Motoyasu, who struggled to make sense of the story.

"Huh? You encouraged me to drink, and before I knew it I had too much..." Motoyasu said aloud as he worked through the part night as he knew it, going first through what he could recall before reaching... "Huh?"

His last memory was of her handing him a glass.

There were no events beyond that which coincided with or contradicted anything.

His brain, still addled from the wine, struggled to keep up with the events unfolding around him. Why did Itsuki look like he was about to draw his bow? Why had Ren turned away? Why did Naofumi look like he'd seen more than he wanted?

"When he tore my clothes off, I was so scared. Somehow, I was able to escape, and I ran to Ikki for help."

"If she hadn't asked that I wait until morning to report you, I'd have put an arrow through your throat then and there!"

No amount of alcohol could cloud so strong a message as that. Motoyasu felt ice cold blood drain from his face. He barely heard the king denounce him, the pounding in his ears all but drowning out the shout of how hero status spared him from execution.

He tried to rape her?

Why would he...

Was he to blame for her tears as she hid behind Itsuki's back?

In all the time before that he'd gone out drinking, he'd never...

He wanted to protest. To scream he was innocent. He wouldn't do that! Women were angels, and Myne was the arch-angel who he strove to protect! There had been miscommunications in the past. His failure to properly convey that his love could not be restricted to a single person had driven Momiji and Ikuyo to horrific violence completely contradictory to their good nature. But he had never sought to hurt anyone! There was nothing more lowly than a man who harmed a woman!

But he couldn't remember, and what reason did an angel have to lie about something so heinous?

Motoyasu didn't want to believe he'd done such a thing. Somehow, there was an explanation for why Myne said he did where he wasn't guilty. He just couldn't think of it.

He had no defense, and the only thing he could cry in the face of everyone's judgment was a plea for them to realize the position he was in.

"I don't even remember how much I had to drink!"

No one took pity on him.

"I had an inkling the first time I saw you. Of course you would sully yourself, you little demon!"

"D-demon? How am I a demon?"

"Isn't it obvious? I thought there was something unsettling about him from the start. You heard him conspiring to prey on that girl from the castle's staff too, didn't you? I bet he thinks that face entitles him to whoever he wants."

All he said back then was that she was cute...

"Exactly. I didn't expect him to stoop so low, but he clearly thinks his status as a hero gives him special privileges."

Naofumi! Naofumi hadn't said a disparaging word about him yet!

Motoyasu looked to the Spear Hero for support, and shriveled under that look. Like a father whose son let him down. Not angry. Just so very, very disappointed.

"Um..." Were they really so mad at him for not being able to make his own case? "Doesn't everyone forget what happened when they've had too much to drink?"

From the look on Naofumi's face, this situation was incomprehensible. Ren... Ren was way too young to drink, so of course he only looked down at Motoyasu as if he were some sort of moron. As Motoyasu's gaze glided to Itsuki, he caught sight of Myne's face. One finger pulling down her eyelid, tongue sticking out in a childish expression of mockery.

The pounding in his ears silenced. It was as if Motoyasu's heart stopped.

Why, if there was a good explanation for this, would she mock him so?

Myne couldn't really have acted in malice... could she? Though his head still thrummed from all the wine she poured him-destroying any confidence he had in his own innocence when he first heard the charges-a cold clarity settled in his bones. He saw not only the face of a _true_ demon hiding being Itsuki, but as Itsuki held his chin up to try and reach his full, pitiful height, Motoyasu saw what he wore. The chainmail he still had on when Myne poured that first glass.

That was right. Myne had been with Itsuki initially. Somehow, while he was panicking over how he didn't have a partner, they must have planned this.

Why would anyone want to work with a lousy shielder anyway?

"You bastard! You two planned to rob me and then slander me from the start!"

The proof was in that ridiculous nickname. Ikki! Of all things! She never even once referred to Motoyasu by his name!

Not wanting to work with a shielder... Even if it hurt, Motoyasu could understand it. But this! To let him wonder if he could have such a darkness in him while convincing everyone around him that he was scum! To take advantage of how eager he had been to trust and protect a girl! And for what? Itsuki could level up fast. He would reach the point where he could take guild quests that paid more than the stolen chainmail was worth in no time, while Motoyasu would flounder with his most worthless weapon. Itsuki knew the world from his own game. He had to know that armor only gave him a slight edge.

But Itsuki sneered and said, "As if the words of some drunken rapist hold any weight."

The way he puffed out his chest. The way the king beamed at him. That was it. The armor and the stolen coins were a short-term gain. He had secured his position as the favorite hero with his underhanded play.

Seeing that Itsuki wouldn't budge and that he'd won the king over, Motoyasu looked again to the other heroes. Ren had an expression that demanded one punch him. Like he was so much better than the human filth tossed on the floor before him that it was a pain he even had to be present for the trial. He'd put on that stupid cool act from the start, and he could continue to make himself look above it all with that silent disdain of his, even if it meant watching injustice play out.

And then there was Naofumi, who watched Myne as if she was all that mattered and didn't say a word of how blatantly she had mocked Motoyasu for believing in her.

Of course. Naofumi was the ignorant one. The hero who was trapped ten steps back from Ren and Itsuki by his lack of knowledge of the world they'd been summoned too. Even more than those other two, he had to do whatever he could to elevate himself. Behind that mild face, he was no doubt lamenting that he hadn't been as crafty as the Bow Hero. Had it been one of _his_ party members sent to play the part of a sympathetic ally who was assaulted for her troubles, he could be the one hogging the spotlight. Motoyasu couldn't forget the callous look Naofumi gave him wen he was first without party members.

What scum! The whole lot of them saw that he was the weakest and most expendable and cut him loose!

Motoyasu glared daggers through what remained of the trial. Who cared what any of them thought? They all treated him like a stepping stone for simply having had the misfortune of being chosen for the worst weapon. The moment the king declared he could still walk free and fight in the waves, Motoyasu turned and stormed from the room. He didn't have to put up with their abuse.

Who cared if he lost the king's support? The other three heroes hadn't been his allies from the start either. He had been foolish to think they might be friends, or at least friendly rivals. He knew better now.

And most of all, he'd learned that women were not all angels.

And fuck Myne and Ikuyo and Momiji and every other psycho bitch like them.

-x-

**STA:** I spent a long time combing through an untranslated light novel just to confirm that the detail of Motoyasu having given Myne his V-card from the web novel was still canon... and upon closer inspection of the translated WN version I'm not even sure that is explicitly confirmed, or if someone else who reads WN spoilers misled me. Not naming names, but I'm aware of one particular fan who has a good memory for all the spoilers out there, but will also read between the lines to find stuff that isn't there with absolute confidence. ('Twas interesting to see them summarize stuff _I_ took a stab at translating that included information that I 100% hadn't provided.) So there's been some waffling back and forth on a line referencing his sexual experience in this chapter.

On a less pathetic note, the trial conversation was about 75% based off of the Class Up short story's abridged version and 25% based off Naofumi's trial. And let me tell you, it was a bitch of a time trying to write whatever _the fuck_ was going through Motoyasu's head when he spent his entire trial defense in the short story rambling about how he was blackout drunk like that was his main sin while everyone else is shouting at him for attempted rape. I had like three possible different theories for how any sane and rational person might think any given statement he made might possibly be a good idea and none of them gelled with his other lines and his described body language. Eventually I had to remind myself I'm writing a dumbass and just let it be.

* * *

**Zennishi:** I'mma be straight with you. I have no idea what I'm doing with Raphtalia. It's not a question I'll have to address for a little while at the very least, but I am very much on the fence with how to handle the subject of Naofumi and demi-human slaves.

**fractalman:** I think it's called Spear and Shield? The fanfic is a few pages back on this site.

**pinkdog16:** Heck, I just wish there were more fanfics about Motoyasu. The anime's portrayal of him did him no favors in terms of collecting fans.

**The Joining:** It's called もしも尚文が槍で元康が盾の勇者だったら. It's from the Class-Up book that released in Japan recently.

**FearfulFan1987:** Some parts take inspiration from events of canon, but I wouldn't be interested in writing this if it was going to be a rehash of the main story with a few tweeks. (Although just for the sake of easy plot outlining, the idea did tempt me briefly.)

**Euphoric05:** Good sir, this is a pre-breakdown version of Motoyasu. Why would you assume he possesses common sense and willpower?

**Guest:** I can 100% guarantee you that even if Filo's egg were to somehow end up in Motoyasu's hands, he would never raise Filo in this fic. In any case, Motoyasu is a fundamentally different person from Naofumi. Even if you were to place him in the same situation and give him the same allies, naturally he would bond with them differently.


	3. The Point of Despair

People Motoyasu passed on the streets regarded him warily. They had watched armed soldiers drag him to the castle not an hour earlier. Even if word of that woman's lies hadn't gotten out yet, they had to wonder. That he still fumed from Itsuki's underhanded power play did him no favors. Motoyasu glared at everyone who caught his eye, as if each of them had been party to his humiliation.

With no equipment past a useless shield, he moved automatically towards the store where he had gone the day before. Only as he reached the storefront did it hit him that there was no point. Those two had taken all of his money as well. Growling to himself as he realized how low down of a bottom he needed to claw his way up from, Motoyasu turned instead in the direction of the adventurer's guild, and found large, bald, scar covered man looming over him.

What was _that_ face about? He had no right to look as pissed as Motoyasu felt. Motoyasu glared up at the man, and was caught off guard when he was grabbed by the collar and slammed against a wall.

"I heard what you did to that girl in my shop the other day."

Who even was this creep? That ugly store clerk?

He didn't do _anything_.

Glaring rather than defending himself was the wrong response. The man reared back and socked him in the face. Motoyasu's head smacked against the back wall with a thud that did nothing for his hangover, and he slid down to the ground.

What was that bastard's level? The monsters the other day hadn't been able to do any damage, but that _hurt!_ When the stars cleared from Motoyasu's vision, he grimaced at the sight of his HP bar.

That creep already retreated back into his shop, with no one speaking up about the unprovoked assault. Not like there was anything a shielder could do to get even anyway. Motoyasu picked himself up, ignoring the jeers of the crowd that gathered to watch him be assaulted, and stumbled away.

Hopefully that didn't leave any sort of lasting mark on his face. A shielder couldn't get by without party members, and with no finances, allies, respect, or skills to contribute in a fight, his looks were all he had going for him.

-o-

The adventurer's guild was exactly where Motoyasu expected it to be. Here, he could build his own party. Not once in his entire life had Motoyasu struggled to find people he could connect with. That stupid king who so rapidly turned on him picked nothing but garbage recruits. Scum who wanted all the glory of coasting off of some stronger hero, and who were happy to torment him if it gave them an edge over others. Here, he could find people that _wanted_ to work with him. _Real_ allies.

He threw open the doors and let himself in. Only when a nearby girl with a cute face flinched did he pause to take note of himself. He was mad—_fuming_—as anyone would be—after what transpired at the castle. Justified though he was, it wasn't a mood that girls liked. 'Dangerous' and 'fierce' were traits that had their appeal, but no one worth pursuing went for the unhinged look. The bruise he felt forming on his face couldn't help.

Not that awareness of this did Motoyasu any good. Try as he might to calm himself or at least control his expression, his blood still boiled. It took constant focus to keep his feelings off his face. Focus which he didn't have when the memory of that woman mocking him and Itsuki deflecting his own guilt by slandering Motoyasu repeated on loop in his brain. Even if he tried to force a smile, the soreness where that weapon-seller punched him made the expression impossible to maintain.

"I'd like to take a job," he told the woman at the desk.

Never mind that he was only level 9. Never mind that he had no way to attack. He was one of the summoned heroes. Surely, even if he was just a shielder and the other heroes could step over him to elevate themselves, hero status had to count for _something_. There were people here who would work with him. Even if hero status meant nothing, there _had _to be people here who would work with him.

Itsuki and Ren based their knowledge of the world off of similar games that had to lack details Emerald Online possessed, and Naofumi had no basis of knowledge at all! Even if he was given the absolute worst weapon, with the right allies, he could keep up with them. If they thought they could make themselves look better by outpacing him and casting him aside like trash, they could think again!

"No. Please leave immediately."

"…Huh?"

"There are plenty of women who find work in this guild. We have to look out for our members, so it's unacceptable to have a rapist on our premise."

A rapist? How… It hadn't been half an hour since the trial. Word couldn't have possibly spread so fast.

Those bastards! Itsuki and that woman must have gone around spreading the rumor before they even had him dragged before the throne!

"That was a lie!"

He didn't do it! He was pretty sure he didn't do it… Myne wouldn't have mocked him so lightly if she'd been sincere in her distress! He couldn't be the sort of man who would do that! Women were _supposed to be _angels, and he would never hurt anyone he thought an angel! He'd gotten drunk at parties all the time and nothing like that ever happened, and the way that woman mocked him… He definitely didn't do it!

But the receptionist went on as if he hadn't protested at all. "Besides, we have no jobs that _the shield_ can complete."

"But—"

The whisper of metal sliding from its sheath turned Motoyasu's head, and he found his nose an inch away from the tip of a man's sword.

"The lady asked you nicely to leave."

This was _not_ an event in Emerald Online. Even if you _were_ in the middle of the quest where all of a town's NPCs acted hostile, you could _always_ use the guild. This wasn't even the right town, and the event was to do with a cult, not a false accusation. None of this was right!

"I need work," Motoyasu protested, the words coming out lower than expected.

Everything was stolen. He could just imagine how. After Myne got him to drink until he blacked out, Itsuki dragged him up to his room and stripped his armor right off of his back. Taking the money and remaining equipment would have been even easier. All he had was the stupid shield, and he couldn't sell it and be rid of the thing no matter how much he wanted to. If he couldn't take quests, how was he expected to re-outfit himself? Never mind that. How was he supposed to accomplish _anything?_

"The worries of a rapist aren't the problem of anyone here," the swordsman told him. "Hero or not, leave before I cut you down."

-o-

Motoyasu knew better than to loiter right outside the guild, but he stayed nearby. The uncomfortable whispers about him grew louder the longer he stayed in any one area, so he moved up and down the street in an attempt to avoid looking suspicious.

Game lore always linked the guilds to both an international organization and local government, so it made sense that if the king had been turned against him, he would be barred from the local guild. Game worlds usually had a bit more depth once you went inside them than did the games themselves, if he remembered correctly. The actions of people would naturally be more complex than that of NPCs with only a handful of programmed lines. He forgot to account for that. Until he could travel to another guild, he needed to find someone who could accompany him through higher level areas and help him reach a point where he could pass safely.

Any time a suitably strong adventurer passed, Motoyasu approached them. After the first hour, he even started pitching himself to men. Appeals started off with trying to be friendly and offer to keep people out of harm's way on their next job so that they might see some usefulness in him, but by the end he was begging for help. He only had a shield. He couldn't fight monsters on his own. Surely they wanted_ all_ of their heroes to level up properly, right? _Right?_

Wrong.

Of course. What did it matter if a shielder was able to level properly or not? They were useless at higher levels anyway.

If they at least stuck to that reason, it might have hurt less. But so many people had claimed that they wouldn't work with a demon or a rapist.

By the end of the day, Motoyasu was no better off than where he started. Worse, in fact. He was still without allies. Without armor. Without anything save for the undershirt. (Maybe Itsuki didn't steal _that_ because he knew he was too short to fit in it!) A chill was settling in with the setting sun that his thin fabric couldn't ward off. It was time to call it quits.

Without thinking, Motoyasu's feet moved him towards the inn where he'd stayed only a night before. How surreal, that only twenty-four hours ago he was laughing, thinking about how even if he'd gotten the short end of the stick with weapons, everything was going to be fine and he'd had a blast in this world. He made it halfway there before recalling again that he still had no money to pay for all the things he took for granted a day ago.

The innkeeper would probably refuse him a room because he was some sort of rapist demon anyway. But he'd been so looking forward to a warm meal from their tavern…

He couldn't pay for food either, could he?

All afternoon, he'd ignored the growing ache in his stomach, but after giving up on his quest of finding allies, there was nothing to distract him from it. He'd been dragged out of bed without breakfast, and begged all through lunch and dinner. He hadn't eaten since he still believed Myne was on his side.

He had an attack of 0, even after leveling up several times. But with the slight variance in how damage was calculated, he could still deal occasional damage to monsters that had no defense. He could try and fight on his own. Maybe, if he leveled up enough, his attack would increase. He knew all the best spots to level up quickly… assuming you had a heavy hitter in your party. He just had to reach a point where he could hold his own in the first of those hunting grounds. He would fall behind the others a little bit. A lot, actually. He'd never heard of anyone sticking with a shielder long enough to reach a point where they were in any way useful at dealing damage. But he could still catch up. He was going to outdo Itsuki. Somehow, he would be the best hero despite the shield! And once he'd restored his reputation, he was going to expose Itsuki for the rat he was and make Naofumi and Ren grovel and beg forgiveness for looking down on him!

It was a nice fantasy. Pretending it was anything but helped warm Motoyasu's heart, even as the rest of him shivered in the back of an alley for the night.

-o-

Motoyasu didn't know when he fell asleep, but he woke up lying on the ground, his left half cold from the morning air and his right half cold from the stone leaching heat away.

His stomach hurt. It had been twenty-four—no—thirty-two hours since he last ate, give or take. He'd attributed the previous day's dull headache to a hangover, but dehydration was to blame for its persistence. He was more tired than when he went to sleep, and everything was stiff and achy. Half his face and the back of his head were swollen and tender such that he didn't even attempt to tie his hair. When he stood, he noticed his clothes had been smudged with dirt. Attempting to rub a particularly egregious spot clean only made him aware that his arm was also filthy.

A warm bath sounded so good. Even a lukewarm one. With no means of paying for that, he could only hope that any running water he found wouldn't be frigid.

It took a minute to orient himself to where in the city he was. The gates leading to the field where he fought with that woman only two days earlier were near enough, and in his current state he wasn't suited for taking on any monster other than scrubs. He set out in that direction.

At first he walked along main roads, avoiding eye contact with everyone who started at his filthy clothes or whispered 'demon' as he passed. As such, he didn't see the culprit when something struck him in the side of the head.

It caused no physical pain, but it still hurt when he glanced around in confusion and saw someone threw a rock.

After that, he kept to side streets as much as possible.

The first priority upon leaving the city was to wander towards the woods. If he remembered the terrain in Emerald Online's starter area, there was a creek not too far in. The monsters would be too strong for him to take down and it made him nervous to stray from balloons while his HP was still missing a chunk from that punch, but he wouldn't last long without water, monsters or no.

If something strong enough to damage him did come along and knock out the rest of his HP, maybe he would be sent back home. His own apartment sounded heavnly. There were instant meals in the cupboard for when he didn't have the patience to cook, and a convenience store down the street, He could get himself a large sweet bun and warm instant ramen in minutes and then eat at his computer while searching for a new MMO to play.

He found the creek without incident and drank until he was so full he felt like he might puke. If he had to walk into the forest every time he was thirsty, he wanted to make sure he was fully hydrated each time. Besides, filling his stomach to the brim with water made the ache from lack of food less obvious.

The night he was summoned, he had joked with those three about the plumbing situation and how they might have to use an outhouse. Now he was relieved to relieve himself in the woods rather than having to do his business behind a building and hope he wasn't spotted.

He didn't read any of the stories for himself, but wasn't being summoned to another world supposed to be _fun?_ He recalled being told the characters in those stories were handed power and picked up girls everywhere they turned. Yet here _he _was shivering from a half-successful attempt to clean himself in a stream. His clothes remained dirty, but now clung to him. His skin, at least, was no longer half-brown, but he was unable to untangle the knots from his hair

It he could hold a blade, he would have hacked his hair off then and there.

Looks weren't even a selling point. No one wanted him, and when he caught his reflection in a puddle, he saw that the bruise he sported was so large and dark that he was amazed his teeth were intact. No wonder he lost a third of his HP. Without healing magic or any medical aide or the ability to purchase potions… or food… or anything… he had not idea how to refill his meter. You didn't recover HP over time in Emerald Online except under certain conditions while logged out. He could only hope that didn't mean he would sport that nasty bruise until he was able to pay for treatment.

Itsuki would pay for this. Somehow.

The day went downhill from there.

Hours of repeatedly beating on balloons netted him a meager 60 exp. Balloon scraps were the most worthless item in Emerald Online, and the irony of gathering them up to sell while his shield took a form most people couldn't afford until they had been playing for a few months wasn't lost on Motoyasu.

He held the scraps in the hem of his shirt, hoping none fell through the holes in his clothes. He was immune to the balloon's bites, but the undershirt that was all he had to wear was not.

He had no idea what inn prices even were. If his haul didn't net him enough for a room for the night, it was going to be even colder than the night before.

-o-

"I can give you one bronze for every ten."

"The man before me got a coin for every two!"

"Did he?"

"You can't forget something like that in half a minute!"

The merchant shrugged. "It's a shield discount."

_Shield_. At least he wasn't repeating the slander that Itsuki and that woman spread, but…

"That's not a discount."

"Is for me. Why should I pay the Shield Demon extra?"

"But it's _not_ extra. It's the same rate you gave that other man."

"Look, kid. I'm not obligated to buy from you."

Motoyasu looked down at his pile. A whole day's work, worth only six bronze. Affording enough for an inn had been a pipe dream, but could he even feed himself for a day with that?

Six was more than zero. He dropped his haul on the counter, took the meager pay, and left before that man's smirk could drive him to attack. He deserved it, and no one _ought_ to blame Motoyasu for it, but everyone already treated him like a crook.

He could still eat dinner. After forty-eight hours, that alone kept his spirit from tumbling all the way to the ground. He went through a list of reasons why trying to fend for himself put him in a better position than begging for anyone to party with him. He still gained experience. He could still level up. He managed one night outside. He could manage others as he slowly worked his way up to being able to fight real monsters on his own. Even if they underpaid him, eventually he would have valuable enough materials to sell that he could sleep in a bed again. Never mind that at level 9 his attack was no higher than it had been at level 1.

He would pull himself back up. He would get strong enough that this merchant would regret not showing him basic human decency, and would beg for his protection when the waves came. And having obtained the power to do so, Motoyasu would refuse to help.

-o-

"Twelve bronze."

"I heard you were selling them for four before I walked up."

Compared to the indignation he felt being underpaid, Motoyasu no longer had the energy to offer more than mild protest at being overcharged. He'd tried to purchase the skewers even though they didn't look like enough because everyone else he asked had given a price above his pathetic budget. For twelve bronze, if he were anyone else, he could buy something more substantial to fill his stomach with. But he was himself, and anything that cost the average person twelve bronze would no doubt cost him thirty.

"Stock's low. Demand's high. They're twelve now."

Motoyasu didn't eat that night after all.

-o-

Curled up in the same alley where he woke up, knees tucked into the hallow space his empty stomach made, pressed tight against his chest in a feeble attempt to conserve heat, Motoyasu tormented himself with memories of life in Japan. The spacious apartment his parents rented for him while he went to college, and the allowance that not only kept him well fed while his classmates complained about having no choice but to settle for a week of instant ramen, but gave him spare cash to spend on his social life. All the friends and women who had lit up every time he approached.

If he'd better conveyed things to Ikuyo and Momiji, he could be in his bedroom, wearing his favorite jacket and a headset, talking to his online friends about whether they wanted to goof off farming for rare drops or join another group that needed help with a dungeon they liked the loot from.

Now that he thought of it, Emerald Online had food items, but they were less cost effective for HP recovery than potions, and the dishes that gave useful stat boosts and resistances required a high cooking skill, so it was easier to buy other items when you had to fight a certain boss. If you paid to go to an inn before logging out, you would also log in at full health, but that meant you would have to backtrack if you were in the middle of exploring. He never spent his money on one.

Maybe he was being punished for never letting his character eat or sleep.

Whichever of them landed the killing blow would be with him in heaven, they said, and he hadn't seen either of those girls. At first he figured that was because he was wrong in thinking all women were angels. But he had a new theory that let him believe the women back home were every bit as great as he thought. Maybe the reason Ikuyo hadn't been summoned alongside him was because living in your favorite game wasn't heaven.

Maybe he really did die when Ikuyo and Momiji stabbed him. Maybe he was in his own personal hell, where everything that he thought was good in life had it out for him.

Dammit! He hadn't lead the most virtuous life, sure, but what he hell did he do to deserve such rotten treatment!

-o-

Around midnight, it rained.

-o-

Beat another sixty balloons. He did sixty the day before, so another sixty was doable.

The goal of thriving as a shielder against all odds was gone from Motoyasu's mind. He had managed to find water, but he _needed_ food. Sixty balloons, and he would finally eat.

His limbs felt like lead. The lack of fuel was taking its toll on his body, and he doubted hunger pains accounted for his persistent chill. When Motoyasu first sat up, he stared at the stone wall of the building he had slept behind, His mind was in a fog, thoughts searching for direction and circling back endlessly to how desperately hungry he was.

Sixty balloons. If no one changed the prices on him, he could buy that meat skewer. He was drooling just thinking of it. It didn't matter if it was beef or chicken or even dog. It was food.

He leaned forward and reached beneath a pile of broken wood where he had hidden his coins the night before.

He found nothing.

He pulled the wood away piece by peace, looking for the glint of bronze. When the very last piece was moved, he still searched on hands and knees for the coins he worked so hard for.

Once he'd searched every nook and cranny of the alley and still found nothing, he sat back and tried to process the development. All his mind wanted to focus on was the meal he was now six coins further from, and he had to drag it back again and again to _why_ the coins were gone.

Even if he had a shield with a prominent red gem in its center, he was filthy. His hair had more knots than strands. He spent the night curled up in a back ally. The money was _buried_. No one would go shuffling through garbage on the offhand chance they could rob someone so obviously destitute.

But someone might have stumbled upon an alleged rapist identifiable by their shield, and know they could take from him without regard when he had nothing to contribute.

Motoyasu screamed. He tore at the shield like a feral animal to try and separate himself from it. He slammed it against the wall to try and dislodge it. But to no avail. It wouldn't let go of him, and he couldn't afford to waste energy on a tantrum, no matter how justified.

Through tears, he glared down at the root of all of his problems. It was the shield's fault he was useless. If he'd been given the spear or the sword, that woman wouldn't have seen him as only valuable as a quick few coins. The other so-called-heroes wouldn't have stomped him down and then stepped over him to make themselves look better. He wouldn't _need_ any of those assholes in the adventurer's guild to earn enough to eat and sleep. He wouldn't even need to earn as much, because no one would think it fine to cheat some worthless rapist whose death by starvation would be no loss to the world.

But the shield didn't give a damn what he thought of it or the predicament its _worthlessness_ put him in.

He rubbed his eyes dry and refocused on the immediate priority. One-hundred-and-twenty balloons. That was the new goal if he wanted to eat. The shield wouldn't help him reach that, so he needed to move for himself.

It took a great deal of willpower for Motoyasu to rise to his feet and meander to the gate. His body reminded him with each step that it was running on empty.

The murmurs of insults, slander, and dismissal of the useless shielder all blurred together in his ears as he passed others on the streets. It had been that way from the start, hadn't it? The king himself said it. He'd seemed suspect from the beginning.

If only someone was willing to work with him, even if every merchant still cheated him, they could make short work of the balloons and earn enough in no time. Motoyasu attracted the things to him like flies, and one latched onto his heel and nibbled as soon as he stepped into the field.

He shook it off then stomped down to hold it in place, stared at it in dismay, then bent over to begin the drawn out process of pummeling it. One-hundred-and-twenty. Then he could eat.

It was too bad balloons were just rubber and air. He had no tools with which to clean game, nor did he have the first clue how to do so, but if he were strong enough to kill a monster with meat on it, then he wouldn't _need_ Melromarc. He could go into the woods, keep sleeping on the ground and drinking from streams and being filthy, and spare himself everyone's disdainful looks.

How many times did he have to punch it? Orange balloons in the game only had 15 HP.

All it took to pop a balloon back in the real world was to squeeze it hard enough.

Swinging his arm over and over was so tiring…

The balloon popped, and he snatched up the scraps like they were the most precious thing in the world. One-hundred-and-nineteen to go.

-o-

It was past noon by the time Motoyasu sat back in the field and accepted the fact that he couldn't reach his goal. Not in one day. Not as worn down as he was. Trying to split the work over two days again was the only feasible way.

Trying to split the work over two days again was theoretically the only feasible way, but Motoyasu was ready to pass out just from walking back into town.

One-hundred-and-three more balloons, and he could buy himself a meat skewer that would be gone in six bites.

He made it back to the gates before the full scope of his situation hit him, and the understanding nearly stopped him cold.

If he didn't get food by the end of the day, he would never eat again.

Everything he owned amounted to less than two bronze. His clothes, torn by _balloons_ and covered in grime, were worth less than the bits of rubber he collected. He didn't have a chance of purchasing food.

He was still one of the four Holy Heroes. He clung to that fact. They _wouldn't_ summon him if they didn't need him. They _wouldn't_.

Motoyasu picked a random direction and started walking. It didn't take long for him to spot someone who struck him as charitable. The man smiled at anyone who passed, nodding and greeting plenty by name. His clothes looked of good enough make that they might be able to give a few coins away. He was as good a person to ask as any.

Swallowing any last traces of his pride, Motoyasu approached the man.

"Sir?"

The smile vanished.

"Please, I need help."

The man took in his state of disarray, then said, "So did that poor girl you attacked."

"I—"

But the man was already walking away.

Forget him. There was a whole city of people he could ask. At least one might take pity on him. He kept searching, and he kept pleading his case.

"Please, Miss. I haven't eaten in three days."

"Scum like you deserves nothing less."

"I only need a few coins, sir."

"As if I would give a single bronze to a demon like you."

"Please. I'm one of the four heroes and—"

"The Shield isn't even a true hero."

Two hours of walking the city in search of at least one sympathetic ear, and nothing to show for it.

What had he expected? Wasn't it the same from the moment he was tossed aside? Everyone knew he could only use a shield. They knew that he couldn't make it on his own. And yet no one would work with him after the lies that woman spread.

No. That wasn't it. No one would work with him _even before_ she slandered him, Motoyasu corrected. Even she only pretended to take pity on him so she could rob him and prop her favored hero up.

It was like they summoned a shield hero just so they could knock him down and kick him until his body gave out. He knew he looked pathetic. He was exhausted, dizzy with hunger, and filthy. He was _obviously_ struggling, and they didn't care! No, they laughed at his plight!

Why did he _play_ Emerald Online? What kind of rotten world would treat a person this way?

There were no options left. He needed food, and everyone already looked down on him as a worthless criminal. Why not embrace that while he still had the strength to flee the scene of the crime?

-x-

**STA: **I like it when my favorite characters suffer. So self control was me not dragging this out over five chapters… and lack of restraint was me still devoting 5000 words to what was, in Aneko's short, about three sentences of information.

Anyway, this is a lesson in why, when you take a cute girl to buy a sword, you befriend the blacksmith with banter rather than comment on how she should wear slutty armor before minding your own business quasi-stealing all the wares. I finished a chapter during my free time at work and Monday appeals to me as a day for updating, so here y'all go. If I can write a shitton and build up a buffer then I'll post the next chapter next Monday. Otherwise I'll do every other week updates. I still need to work on my original stories too.

* * *

**FearfulFan1987:** Dunno if you're a manga reader, an anime only, or read the LNs, but during the LNs there's a point in which Naofumi stops to consider the whole situation surrounding his being framed with a level head, and admits to himself that had he been one of the heroes watching someone else be accused, he would side with a distraught girl over some dude he barely knows. Spin-Off Motoyasu has the advantage of already being intimately familiar with Naofumi and Myne, and knowing accusations are even made that Naofumi is going to be wrongfully accused. Spear!Naofumi only knows that Motoyasu is a playboy who freely admitted to drinking too much.

**Le055Li0n:** Everything you hoped for has come true... although I'm not entirely sure what your question was. If you mean was the shield hero telling the truth then yes. Motoyasu was very sincere in his assertion that he was too drunk to remember anything.

**Euphoric05:** Which of them were psychos depends on what you mean by 'psycho'. I would actually say that it's Myne who is a psychopath, while Momiji and Ikuyo were outright psychotic.

**pinkdog16:** If he is trash I'm a racoon. I love Motoyasu despite, nay, because of his flaws. He's a brilliant disaster of a human being, I say! Although on the subject of this other fanfic, there seems to be a little confusion. I'm not expanding upon the idea of someone else's fanfic. The author of Shield Hero wrote a side story (like 1000 words long) about what the first few days would have looked like with Motoyasu as the shield hero. I'm expanding on that and developing past it based on a lot of speculation over the implications it laid out. I just also wanted to acknowledge that I'm not the first person to write a fanfic where Moto's the shield. Crossovers don't interest me all that much, and I generally don't do fan content of fan content except for quick doodles or fluffy shorts to give the creator.

**mak89:** Regrettably Motoyasu's party has already been thought out, and it won't include that kid. Or that demi-human mage girl. I bet he'd have liked her. As for what Motoyasu did with his wake up call... er... He hasn't done much yet.

**Echonic:** Technically speaking, as the Motoyasu of this story had yet to screw Naofumi over, it's debatable whether or not he had this coming. But canon!Motoyasu would 200% deserve it. Anyway, no pigs this chapter. Going by Aneko's short story, I guess he either needs to have more time to get attached to Myne or else the lack of a Filo to be that final straw on the camel's back makes all the difference. (It probably also factored in that he spent a month being treated like a pariah in canon before Myne betrayed him.)


	4. Salvation

There was no way to appear inconspicuous, so Motoyasu didn't try. He made his way to the market street in searched of vendors who might be easy to rob. He didn't have the stamina to outrun guards, so his target needed to be near enough to a quick escape route on top of giving him the strength to continue outrun guards next time.

The layout of the city wasn't perfectly identical to the game. Like with everything else, it was more detailed. More space was allotted to residential buildings and businesses that adventurers in a game wouldn't need, and their addition increased the number of streets by an order of magnitude. He didn't know the side streets, but they had to provide alleys where he could hide with his haul. The market street was also more than ten times longer, full of crafts and simple clothing items like socks and food vendor after food vendor that the game had no time to differentiate. The layout wasn't one he memorized, but any booth close enough to a side street might have a few more turns he could make to shake pursuers.

This would work out. It had to. If it didn't, he had nothing left.

For twenty minutes, Motoyasu walked up and down the street in search of the perfect target. At last, he spotted someone. A stall selling bowls of carved out bread with stir-fried meat and vegetables stuffed inside, placed right at the corner of two streets, with a set of stairs that led to a poorly lit space. His mouth watered just looking at the dish.

He moved closer, meeting any suspicious look with a glare that said he didn't care about their concerns anymore than they cared about his life. If they didn't want him to do this, then they shouldn't have brought him into a world where he was nothing but a punching bag.

They could have sold him food at a fair price the day before, and then they would be paid for their contribution. It was the vendor's own fault he was being robbed.

Motoyasu's stomach rumbled in anticipation.

It had been ten minutes since the last guard passed. So long as their rounds were slow, he could pull this off.

A hand grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back.

"Whatever you're scheming, I suggest you give up."

The vendor's attention snapped to him.

Motoyasu turned, a snarl forming on his lips when he saw who had denied him a meal.

"You—Naofumi!"

_Why?_ Wasn't it _enough_ that they all made themselves look good denouncing him in the castle? Did Naofumi think it made him look righteous to defend a city of tormentors?

The Spear Hero was summoned without any knowledge of the world and how the mechanics of it worked. He had to put extra effort into keeping up with the Bow and Sword, and he missed his chance to send one of the girls in his little harem of a party to play Motoyasu for a fool. Boasting that he thwarted a theft form the vile Shield Hero would help to prop him up in the people's eyes and make up for the handicap of his ignorance. Motoyasu should have expected this. They'd made it clear that he only mattered to them as a way to prop themselves up. Of course they would come back whenever they needed a boost.

That thoughtful face Naofumi made begged to be punched. Like he was contemplating whether he would score more points for loudly declaring to the civilians that he caught a thief, or by dragging Motoyasu to law enforcement. If only the other weapon classes had bad enough defense to make up for their ability to attack. Motoyasu might do some damage.

Naofumi turned, unconcerned with what a shielder who he could walk all over might do to his back, and told a vendor across from the one Motoyasu had eyed, "One please."

"Five bronze."

"Can you make change for silver?"

Motoyasu jealously eyed the pack of fritters wrapped in paper that Naofumi had bought like it was nothing.

It _was_ nothing. No one stole all the silver he'd been given and then derided him when he tried to call out the thief. He could buy himself twenty packs of fritters with a single coin. Since _he_ was still allowed in the adventurer's guild, he might even have gold coins on his person. Or not. Ren and Itsuki likely beat him to all the good early quests, but clearly he still had some of his silver. He'd already bought himself a nice, shiny set of armor. The cost of that gear could pay for weeks of food, even if everyone overcharged.

Stealing money from the Spear Hero… Even if he didn't know the best spots, Naofumi could level up easier. He had to be a high enough level already to overwhelm whatever defense Motoyasu allegedly specialized in.

Any desperate schemes Motoyasu might have hatched were interrupted when Naofumi shoved a fritter under his nose. Mind stuck on his persecution, it took a second for Motoyasu to see the innocent look on Naofumi's face and realize this wasn't advanced torture.

"Y-you're giving this to me?"

"Mm-hm. Eat up."

In a city full of people, there _had_ been at least one who took pity on him!

Motoyasu snatched the fritters from Naofumi's hand and scarfed the first down in four bites, barely chewing. The next he tried to eat slower, noticing that it had a flavor, and that it was some sort of fruit and wheat and lots of salt. By the third, he paid enough attention to _what_ he was eating to identify that it wasn't any fruit he was familiar with.

Who even _cared_ what it was? Food was food.

"H-hey. You could have taken that a little slower…"

No. No, he really could _not_ have.

"I haven't eaten since…" How long had it been exactly? "Since the night before that trial."

"That long?"

Naofumi looked shocked, and Motoyasu chastised himself for having misread his face earlier. Naofumi had been taking note of how badly he needed help.

Those other three… No, Naofumi. Whatever he was to Naofumi at least, he wasn't completely disposable.

The bar was set so low that such a small thing could warm Motoyasu's heart.

He followed as Naofumi led him away from the vendors to a small fountain, and sat down with him. What else did he have to do with his time when he had no allies and no way of making it on his own? Besides, if Naofumi was willing to do one nice thing, maybe he would do another.

"Ha… I feel so much better right now…"

"That look on you face was quite the change from before. What was up with that?"

Did he need to ask? Just looking at Motoyasu, it ought to be obvious.

"That… From the very start, everyone here's had it out for me! No one will work with me, even though I can't fight on my own. No one will even pay me fairly for whatever I _can_ do, and prices shoot up whenever I get near! No one cared how much I struggled. They'd jeer or tell me I deserved to starve when I begged them for help! I spent so long trying to get the money for food that I thought I'd collapse. I had no choice but to steal and… well… that's when you showed up."

Naofumi bowed his head as he took Motoyasu's proclamation in, mulling it over longer than Motoyasu thought necessary.

"That's strange… You're one of the heroes fighting for their world. Why would they make it so hard for you?"

"I know, right!?"

The look Naofumi gave him had a similar evaluating feel to it as the one that made Motoyasu want to punch him earlier, but given how badly Motoyasu misread his intent the first time, he refused to make unfair assumptions again.

"Hm?" Naofumi's gaze shifted to something behind Motoyasu. "I'll be right back."

Motoyasu watched Naofumi jog across the street to confront some manner of demi-human girl. While they talked, Motoyasu licked his fingers to see if there remained any bits of fritter that he could still taste. The feeling of _anything_ in his stomach was amazing, but he was still hungry.

Would he push his luck if he asked Naofumi to buy him more food? He wanted that bread bowl, but was it worth risking the good will of the only person to show him any goodness?

Hell. Naofumi could sell the balloon scraps Motoyasu collected on his behalf and that would be enough. They were worth less than two bronze if _he_ sold them, but for anyone else, they would make enough for Motoyasu to buy a meal for himself. It wouldn't be eating on Naofumi's coin, and if Naofumi saw just how dire things were, he might tell the other two to lighten up. He might even be able to press Itsuki into coming clean about his theft!

…But what would the others think if asked to admit their wrongdoing and take the blow to their reputation on behalf of a shielder?

He hadn't made up his mind by the time Naofumi returned with the girl in tow.

She was cute, with short hair and pointed ears that flicked about and a generous cup size. Her meek posture reminded Motoyasu a bit of Momiji, except this girl hadn't followed him everywhere he went, and wasn't brandishing a knife. A total eight. Maybe even a nine, should she put a little makeup on. If he didn't look like he'd just been run over by a train, hadn't been gut-punched by every native he'd spoken to since he was summoned, and had better luck the last time he tried to get close to a girl, he would have asked her out.

Since he looked like a train hit him after multiple gut-punches stemming from the lies of the last girl he fancied, he instead asked, "What's going on?"

Naofumi wore a darker expression than when he'd first walked away. Motoyasu felt his heart pick up imagining what might have happened. After that woman, anyone else could make up a story about him and it would be believed.

Lie in order to take away that useless shield demon's one source of support. He wouldn't put it past the people of the game world to think of something like that.

"Motoyasu, there's something you need to hear."

If they were about to admit they knew he was wrongfully accused, then he didn't _need_ to hear that, but a lot of other people did.

"It seems like this country has a bias against the Shield Hero. From the sound of it, there was an entire conspiracy to oppress you."

Yeah. That sounded right. Motoyasu would have been convinced just from that, but listened silently as the demi-human girl explained the history between Melromarc, demi-humans, the Shield Hero, and the Church of the Three Heroes that had its claws deep in the country's affairs.

It had slipped his mind. In Emerald Online, different nations had churches and sanctuaries dedicated to different weapons, but he never read too deeply on the game lore, since you could go about your business playing as any class without it mattering. It had no bearing on the gameplay beyond that you could find better weapons of a given type in a nation with a corresponding faith. Once you unlocked portal skills and could focus on what shops forums mentioned had high quality or limited edition items, you didn't need to pay attention to it anymore.

But as this girl put it, the churches didn't merely teach people to favor their chosen weapons and worship the corresponding heroes, but to despise 'false' heroes gifted weapons the church didn't recognize.

"Is… that so…"

Living in the world of the game, there were more details than could be conveyed behind a screen, with NPCs limited to a few lines of dialogue. This was another manifestation of that effect. A detail he hadn't considered to a seemingly minor game element.

He chalked up everyone's dismissiveness to how poorly balanced the shielder class was and the heinous nature of the charges against him. He hadn't realized when they called him the shield demon, they were literally denouncing him as the Satan of their faith. It was one thing to be looked down on for being useless, or because people believed he was guilty of a crime that he had been falsely accused of. But to have his name and body both dragged through the mud because those people inherently disliked him for filling the roll they summoned him into…!

"I get it… But all of that… Dammit! Itsuki and that woman should have to live like this too!"

Not even stepping over him to make themselves look better, but purely because he was already the weakest hero, called into the wrong country! What scum! He would never forgive them! _Never!_ Those orchestrators of his suffering were the real demons!

To condemn someone else to what he went through was vile. (Even if they deserved it!) Motoyasu glanced at the girl and Naofumi to verify that they hadn't given up on him for saying that.

Naofumi had his head bowed, muttering something to himself about the meaning of the face some woman made.

What was he—

"Shield Hero," the cute girl, who had been so sweet as to enlighten him about the truth of his misfortune despite the risk she must have exposed herself to, approaching the Shield Hero as a demi-human in Melromarc, placed a hand on his. "Please, return with me to my country."

Which countries _were_ the best for shields? Motoyasu had always played a spearman, since those had decent defense without losing much attack power. They couldn't equip shields, so he never sought any out.

Her story had mentioned something about how Melromarc adopted the Church of the Three Heroes just to spite a demi-human nation called Siltvelt for worshiping on the Shield Hero. If she wanted to take him there, he was game for it.

After the last few days, it sure would be nice to be worshiped…

The girl produced clothes from her bag that, luckily, were his exact size. Melromarc hadn't beaten Motoyasu so thoroughly of his dignity that he was fine with stripping down on a public street to change, but when she held them out, he did take the cloak and cover himself with it, at least to warm himself a little. The chill he felt that morning had yet to leave him.

In the time it took him to fiddle with the clasp, two more demi-humans, a man and a woman, crawled out of the wood work and joined the girl in watching him.

"We must thank you, Spear Hero," the man said.

"I didn't do anything much…"

"Don't be so humble. It was you who connected us with Motoyasu-sama."

The man's words made no sense, until Motoyasu looked past him and the cute girl both to the other woman. Her face was plainer than the girl's and her chest not as generous, but now that he took a closer look at her, he recognized her. She was one of the voices that had blurred in with all the rest that morning, and someone who he'd pointedly ignored not an hour earlier as they called out to him, thinking she planned to jeer while he was busy looking for the right person to steal from.

Had Naofumi not been there, he'd have walked right past his chance at salvation. Never mind the food. The assurance that people cared that he survive and the opening of a door he unwittingly slammed to a brighter future were worth a lifetime of meals!

Clasping Naofumi's hands in his own, Motoyasu tried to convey the gratitude he felt from the deepest depths of his heart.

"I can't thank you enough for this. I promise, someday I'll repay you."

"Uh… Y-yeah."

He _would_ find some way to make it up to Naofumi. Giving him food and a sympathetic ear and even found him a way to escape his persecution. Without that, there was a good chance Motoyasu wouldn't have lasted another week. If ever there was anything Naofumi needed, he would make it happen. You never turned your back on someone so deserving of your loyalty!

Come to think of it, to initially look down on him, but then show kindness and tell him Melromarc's conspiracy upon being told it wasn't malicious. For the first time, it crossed Motoyasu's mind that Naofumi might have been fooled. Had it been Naofumi who was accused… Well, Motoyasu wouldn't have realized in that scenario that women could be demons. Drunk or not, he'd have taken the word of a woman over a man he just met.

Perhaps Ren was decent as well, and had been similarly fooled. That woman had played them all.

Fuck Itsuki though.

"Oh. There's Brunhild… Hm…"

Naofumi's gaze went to a girl from his party who looked like a mage, to Motoyasu, and back to the girl.

"The king picked all of our party members, didn't he? I wonder how the spear is…?" Naofumi muttered.

"Hm?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll sort it out," Naofumi said. "Best of luck to you, Motoyasu."

With that, they shook hands and parted ways. Motoyasu watched Naofumi disappear into the crowd, moving in a different direction from his own party member. But before he had time to interpret that, the demi-humans took him by the hand and steered him away, talking about travel plans and priorities for supplies to prepare.

So in the end, he played no part in righting his situation.

But wasn't that how it ought to go? Regardless of the effort put in, why would a shielder be able to accomplish anything for himself?

-x-

**STA:** Oh yeah. Side note(s) about Aneko's Shield!Motoyasu story, since this fic is now basically past the point that story covers. The whole thing is only like 1000 words and despite being about Motoyasu is still from Naofumi's POV. (It's also three scenes and a quick summary of some short-term fallout. The scenes in question are the party building, the trial, and this chapter, if anyone wondered.) So since this story is 3rd person following Motoyasu, there's some stuff that Naofumi does in the first few chapters of this fic that are very explicitly explained via him narrating in Aneko's story, but are kinda… not in this story. Because Motoyasu.

First off, during the party building, Naofumi is unaware of how screwed a shielder is without party members and is unsympathetic to Motoyasu recruiting no one because Motoyasu has pre-knowledge of the world, so Naofumi assumes he'll level faster anyway. He's also a petty little shit about Motoyasu being good looking and figures he'll seduce people into his party easy enough. Hence him making no effort to convince the girls in his party to go to Motoyasu instead.

During the trial, Naofumi is convinced from the moment Motoyasu confesses he was drunk that he's guilty, but becomes suspicious when he notices Myne taunt Motoyasu. (Side-side note: 'Myne taunt' sounds unfortuante.) However, at the point that Motoyasu storms off, Naofumi isn't so much convinced he's innocent as he is unconvinced that Motoyasu is guilty.

His actions in this scene are more straight-forward though. Only points of note are that him being suspicious of his own party after learning how screwed over Motoyasu was is a detail I added.

Incidentally, did the anime or manga ever mention the Siltvelt emissaries? The anime skipped over the story explaining what all the queen was up to during that conference of nations, as well as a lot of the talk where the queen explained her political situation to Naofumi. I feel like the fact that she sanctioned the other countries to try and take the heroes out of Melromarc and nearly got assassinated when they all declined is something the anime skipped. (Which is a damn shame because Naofumi chasing off legit help while at his most bitter without realizing it was a funny detail.)

* * *

**FearfulFan1987****:** So your opinion of Motoyasu changed sometime between now and then?

**pinkdog16: **I mean, technically speaking, the trashiest thing Moto's done in this fic was suggest Myne wear bikini armor. Three days cold and hungry with no sympathy kind of exceeds karmic retribution for that. It's not as if a version of Motoyasu who put Naofumi through hell is now the one experiencing it in turn.

**Victor John Foxfire:** I'm not going to pretend this fic is overly kind to Motoyasu, but given the aim of the story I do intend for things to overall go better more often than they go badly. As for why the lack of sympathy, Motoyasu didn't encounter any of the other heroes in chapter three, so it's not like they had a chance to take pity on him _or_ refuse to help. As for why no curse series, later LNs posit that as having a very specific function, and the conditions for it just haven't been met yet.

**Guest:** Oof. This is my least favorite type of review. The kind that points out a thing I planned to address in a later chapter, but now you'll never know for sure if I already had it lined up in my buffer or if I snuck it in because you mentioned it. (It's next chapter, to be specific.) The menu position is slightly different because the drops are associated with the shield rather than status magic itself, so he doesn't find it until he really starts messing with shield settings. Conscious choice to delay discovery because I had to figure out how to make him as screwed as he was in Aneko's short while drops were a thing.


	5. A Spot of Hope

At Motoyasu's nervous request, departure was delayed so he could stop in a bath house. He hung back while they argued with the bath house clerk, not wanting to know how much the man attempted to overcharge upon realizing that he not only had demi-humans in his establishment, but that the Shield Hero was his customer.

Eventually, prices were settled on and he could wash up. The warm water felt so good he worried he would fall asleep, and his hair, once freed of half a week of grime, no longer tempted him to shave his head. He left the tattered undershirt in a trash bin and dressed in clothes the emissaries had provided. The cloak, he decided to pull over his head. In another town it might be enough to hide the shield alone, but plenty of people had seen his face as he begged for help.

He admired his reflection in the mirror before he left. The bruise was still there, but it was no longer swollen. His skin, still flushed, glowed rather than glistening with grease. With the help of a conditioner-like product he found at the side of the tub, he was even able to work through the knots in his hair. Once it dried, he could tie it up and be almost the same as he was before everything fell apart. Maybe. The back of his head was still tender. Curse that weapon-seller.

The emissaries from Siltvelt had a carriage with horses, and Motoyasu didn't protest when they helped him climb inside. The food Naofumi bought him had done wonders, but he was still tired.

The interior could just as easily store supplies as it could people. Sleeping rolls were tucked to one side, and Motoyasu eyed them jealously. As the warmth of the bath ebbed away, the chill that had bothered him all day returned. The clothes he'd been given weren't enough. He hugged the cloak tight around himself and wondered if he might be allowed to unfurl a sleeping roll early.

As a hero, he should be allotted a certain amount of privilege… was the mindset he had until Melromarc taught him by demonstration that they didn't care if he had even basic human needs met. He would never admit that thought out loud. Not after what Itsuki and Ren said to him while he stood trial, but the idea flitted through his mind again as he sat shivering inside the carriage.

"Motoyasu-sama, is there anything else you need before we depart?"

Would he sound like a glutton if he asked for more food?

The male demi-human saw his attention go the bin of rations and asked, "Are you still hungry? What would you like?"

"Something warm… if it's not a problem."

"Perish the thought. Mei, go and buy our Shield Hero another meal. No, buy him three, so he can have his pick. We can use magic to warm the others if he is still hungry later on."

How surreal, to have his requests treated as a priority to address. Even before he was cast out by Melromarc's king, Motoyasu had been keenly aware that he was negligible enough to not warrant remembering the name of.

And why should a shielder be given that much attention?

While the demi-human girl named Mei ran to buy food, he dared ask, "Is this alright? With only the shield, the amount I can contribute—"

"Motoyasu-sama, please do not belittle yourself. The Shield Hero is more valuable than any other."

He liked this guy.

"I can't attack," he warned the man.

"We will have an entire army to fight beside you."

An entire army was an awful lot of people to protect…

"Maybe… a smaller party?"

"But to leave our Shield Hero unprotected would be unacceptable!"

What was the point of him even _being_ summoned if all he could do was defend and everyone else made it their job to protect him anyway? It was one thing to think he would lag behind the other heroes, but to be told outright that he couldn't even make some minimal contribution within his own party smarted.

Before Motoyasu could grow too frustrated with his uselessness, Mei returned with more food. Among her haul was the bread bowl that he had planned earlier to steal. It being offered to him by a friendly face brought him to tears, and Mei acted like she thought no less of him for his inelegant blubbering. If anything, the three rallied behind him for crying over bread. They hadn't been close enough earlier to overhear him explain to Naofumi just how desperate he had been to eat. Naofumi's sympathy had been a life saver, but to see the indignation he felt mirrored in the demi-humans was its own sort of satisfaction.

Any other concerns fell to the wayside as Motoyasu helped himself to the meal, savoring the spiced meat and soft vegetables that dripped juice down his chin.

In the end, despite his surprise at how much was purchased for him, Motoyasu ate not only the bread bowl, but several skewers of grilled vegetables as well before their carriage even made it out of town.

With so much warm food in him, the constant ache of hunger that had plagued him the past three days was finally gone. But for some reason, a mild pain persisted in his stomach, and he still felt cold.

While the demi-humans discussed the quickest route to their home country, Motoyasu glanced at the sleeping rolls again. Whatever they were made of, they looked warm and fluffy. His self-restraint lasted five minutes as the three bickered over what road to take. By the time they at last settled on a route and turned to let him know the plan, he had cocooned himself.

"Motoyasu-sama, are you tired?"

"Hm… I guess so." The roll had extra fluff packed into one edge so that there was a built-in pillow. He buried the unbruised half of his face in it and savored the feeling of lying on something soft. Even when he passed out at parties, it was always on the couch. Sleeping on the streets was really too much. "It's warm in here. This is okay, right? There were four rolls. There aren't more people coming, are there?"

"No," said the demi-human woman who wasn't Mei. She had ears that sort of reminded Motoyasu of a mouse, except she wasn't small enough, and he couldn't see any tail.

She watched him as he treasured the softness of the bed roll, then crawled closer to take a good look at his face. How nice. Even with the bruise, once he was cleaned up, he was still a sight to behold.

"Motoyasu-sama, your face is flushed."

"Mm. You're pretty."

"Motoyasu-sama, your face has been flushed since before mine was close to yours. Are you well?"

Was he? His stomach was full, and he was clean, and he was encased in something soft and warm. But he could stand to be warmer, and even though he'd had plenty to drink and none of it was alcohol, his head did hurt.

That pain in his stomach had _better_ not be the beginnings of nausea. If he finally got to eat and then threw up, then that was _it_. He was done with fantasy worlds.

The woman put her wrist to Motoyasu's forehead, then clicked her tongue in displeasure. "Baowen, do we have any medicine? The Shield Hero is too warm."

He was the _opposite_ of too warm, actually.

"Does he have a fever?" Mei asked.

Baowen had a worse idea. "Could someone have poisoned him?"

"I-I didn't tell any of the vendors who that food was for, and I didn't buy from anyone who looked like they wouldn't want to sell to a demi-human."

"Something slipped into the bath house water, then."

Come to think of it, his face _had_ been flushed since that point… Or… Wait a second…

"It rained last night," Motoyasu mumbled. "I probably caught something sleeping outside."

A deathly silence fell over the carriage.

Weird. He'd been trying to assure them that no one made a bold attempt to actively take his life.

"Shield… Motoyasu-sama, you were forced to sleep in the rain?"

"Inns cost too much."

A whole silver coin. The money they gave him when he was first summoned was good for seven-hundred nights, but trying to make up enough for one night on his own meant popping a thousand balloons.

He had seventeen balloon scraps still on his person. After working so hard to get them, he hadn't the heart to throw them away. Part of him said he needed a backup plan for when he was betrayed and cast aside again. The balloon scraps which he could maybe sell at a regular price outside of Melromarc were all he could fall back on.

"Oh, if I have to fight with a whole army, I'll level up slower, won't I?"

In Emerald Online, your party could only get so large before exp gain dwindled. The only time the game made an exception was during a raid event.

"Motoyasu-sama, that's not the most pressing issue right now."

It mattered to _him_. If he didn't level up, he would never reach a point where he could fight on his own if betrayed again.

"What happens if I don't have anyone to attack for me again?"

"You're in our care now. Don't worry about that."

Easier said than done. But the woman whose name he didn't know turned away from him to start fussing with Mei and Baowen about what to do for his cold and who should send the message ahead to Siltvelt.

The sleeping roll was so much more inviting than the thought of arguing with people whose good will he depended on. Motoyasu shut his eyes and let the demi-humans do all the thinking for him. He still wanted to show Itsuki up, but if he was going to be in a different country anyway, then how likely was it that Itsuki would _see_ Motoyasu overtake him? He was only a shielder, when you got down to it.

So long as he didn't have to worry about his next meal, Motoyasu no longer cared so much whether he fulfilled any sort of heroic purpose or not.

-o-

Despite having left the city, the carriage traveled so slow the next two days that Motoyasu could still see the castle when he poked his head out.

The cold developed into a fever. His demi-human benefactors were merciful enough to give into his pleading when his stomach rebelled against their rations. Rice was apparently an uncommon grain in Melromarc, and the strain they found was different than Motoyasu was used to, but he'd learned that food was food. Food that was easy enough on his stomach to keep down was even better. Paired with warm broth, he was content even through the worst of the fever. He curled up in the back of the carriage and slept for the better part of their time near the capitol, happy with the fact that he was safe from the rain and wind and could swaddle himself to repel the cold.

To be able to take it slow and easy was a luxury the likes of which Motoyasu nearly forgot was once a commonplace fixture in his life. Procrastinating on assignments and saying he would study later so he could spend more time online, then coaxing the right girl into letting him copy her notes or give him a crash study session used to be his modus operandi. Those had been comfy times, and he only screwed himself over a little bit with each test.

The first day after his fever broke, Motoyasu learned he'd been screwed over a good deal more with his latest stretch of relaxation. The lull in their travel had given Melromarc ample time to hear that the Shield Hero was seen leaving the city with a group of demi-humans from a long-time national enemy.

The carriage ride, which had already been rough as they traveled well-worn dirt roads, turned so bumpy Motoyasu thought he might be sick all over again.

When he put a hand over his mouth in a pitiful attempt to keep from vomiting, Mei gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Do you need us to slow our travel again?"

Baowen shot the proposal down before Motoyasu could respond. "We have enough food that his stomach can handle to last us a few days. If we slow down, the odds that soldiers will spot us traveling off the road increase. What do you think they'll do when they find three Siltvelt demi-humans and their so-called criminal traveling off road?"

Toss him back on the streets. Motoyasu ended up leaning out the back of the carriage to be sick rather than insist they take the smoother route.

-o-

"That dammed wolf lied!"

It was said too loudly. Rella shushed Baowen by smacking him with wood she was about to toss on their fire before Motoyasu even looked up from his menu, so he returned his attention to going through his inventory without commenting on the curse.

Being the worthless monsters they were, the only item drop balloons offered were basic potions and more balloon scraps, but it still would have helped for Motoyasu to collect the drops the shield registered. It might have made all the difference for him, at least in the short term. The shield had collected one potion and nineteen balloon scraps of its own, plus two usapil feet and an assortment of egg shells during his first day. The egg shells were just a filler ingredient in crafting that NPCs wouldn't pay for, but the feet could have sold for a few extra coins. Enough for one meal.

Motoyasu would still have to spend days beating up balloons for small meals after that, but it irked him to realize that a slight change in the menu layout may have made the difference in whether or not he ate. The potion might have fixed his bruise, but Rella had forced him to swallow so many potions during the height of his fever that old injuries were no longer a concern.

Emerald Online allowed for massive inventory space. Motoyasu had wondered where in his menu the option to store items was, and it appeared the answer was that it was hidden in the _shield_ portion of his menu. An odd discrepancy, but given the way his benefactors eyebrows shot up when he first asked them where one could find drops in their menu, he supposed that it was a hero-specific thing, and thus tied to the weapons themselves rather than status magic.

Well, in the game, players used drops but NPCs never referenced them. Heroes having exclusive access to drops made sense from that perspective.

He had yet to test the shield's ability to absorb materials. The only monster or item-based shields and weapons he knew were themed around rare drops and bosses, so it hadn't seemed like there was any point in the past. But he had been robbed before, and no one but himself could remove something from the shield inventory. Motoyasu pulled his precious, worthless balloon scraps from his pocket and dropped all seventeen into the center of the shield's gem, watching as they were sucked in and vanished without a trace.

He caught a glimpse of the scraps in his inventory increasing by sixteen before his pathetically small weapons tree popped up, sprouting an entire new branch. Orange Balloon Shield. Yellow Balloon Shield. Red Balloon Shield. He closed the menu without fully reading all of the colors.

That must have been a gag item the developers added to the game. Maybe if you actually bothered with shields, you could get different colored balloons to use as shields when it happened to be your birthday.

Although, switching from his store-copied shield to a balloon version, the pattern seemed more reminiscent of the balloon monsters than anything one might celebrate a birthday with.

Perhaps this was another extension of that 'expanded detail' phenomenon he noticed. The dev team wouldn't bother to make trash-tier weapons from absorption, but this was the expanded world of the game. There might be a shield for every monster, rather than just bosses. There might even be a shield for every in-game item.

Balloon shields barely seemed worth the effort, with low stats only +1 defense as an unlockable passive boost, but all together that was almost 5 points total. Not bad when he couldn't level up yet. He would rather raise his level and unlock those higher shield, but he could default to balloons when he had nothing else to unlock and no situation requiring a better equip. It was his only way to grow stats until the emissaries helped him fight,

"What a cute shield," Mei murmured.

If she said so. Motoyasu left the Red Balloon Shield equipped and leaned over the campfire and smelled their dinner roasting. Rella caught fish from a nearby stream (Motoyasu now suspected she was, in fact, some sort of bear-type race rather than a mouse), and so their party had put together a fire to cook and warm themselves around.

Party…

"Hey? Is it alright if I register all of you as party members?"

"Let's wait until we've crossed the border," Rella told him. "Even if the queen _claimed_ that it was acceptable for the other nations to send emissaries to recruit their heroes, your situation is more delicate than those other three. Melromarc reviles the Shield Hero in particular, and Siltvelt and Melromarc are long-time enemies. It's entirely possible that affiliation with us will hurt you if we fail to extract you safely. Should it come to that, we'll pretend you were abducted by us. Registering as party members could blow that cover."

If she said so. More importantly: "There's a queen?"

"That conniving wolf."

"Melromarc's queen is a wolf demi-human?"

Rella smothered a laugh while Baowen sputtered in indignation.

"She's human," Mei said. "They call her the wolf, is all. She outplayed us, showing up to the summit where the nations would determine who should summon which hero while her husband stayed behind and summoned all four in secret to her kingdom. We mistook her for sincere when she claimed she was expediting the process and opened her borders so the heroes could be brought to those nations which it was _decided_ should summon them, but now there are patrols looking to keep you here."

He wasn't even supposed to be summoned to Melromarc in the first place!? Unbelievable! They really _had_ summoned him just to abuse him!

What a rotten country, with a king and queen who were every bit as vile as one another. Motoyasu hoped all the heroes would leave with other emissaries so Melromarc could be defenseless against the next wave.

Itsuki would stay with that woman who aided the king's scheme, of course. But a hero could still dream.

"Those people… Every day they turn out to be even worse than I thought."

"Such is the nature of humans," said Baowen, and Motoyasu tried not to be offended. "Don't let it trouble you any longer. Once we pass through the border, you'll be free of Melromarc's evil."

-x-

**STA****:** My original author's notes for this chapter assumed it was going to be much faster paced and cover more ground. That's what I get for writing the notes ahead of the chapter, I guess.

Anyway, breather chapter. Not planning to do too many of these, but I don't know how many times in a row I can hit people with "And then things got worse for Motoyasu" and I wanted to give these three new people a little more room to establish themselves. Tune in next week!

* * *

**pinkdog16:** Cold. But if it pleases you, 'Motoyasu getting screwed' is going to be a common them in this fic, be it by Melromarc or his own shortcommings as a human being.

**fracalman:** Here you go, good sir.

**Toa Solaric:** Me too, tbh. I'm on the fence still about how plausible the excuses I've tried to think up for her purchase are, given that the spin-off canonized that if Naofumi doesn't by her, no one else will.

**FearfulFan1987:** M-my own story helped to changed your opinion of him? I'm touched.

**Zennishi:** While there is going to be some borrowing of bits from the Shield/Spear Hero story just to really go for the 'What if everything else was the same but Motoyasu and Naofumi changed roles' vibe, I'm foing my best to keep this story from being too samey and to really take into acount how Motoyasu would handle things. (Which is tricky, actually, because he's stupid but he's not stupid in 100% of the time.) And yes. You are correct in pointing out that Siltvelt is not the safest place.

**Tarious123:** Brunhllda is almost entirely fanon. The girl in the witch hat from Motoyasu's party in the anime/start of the manga has no canon name or personality (on account of her canonically leaving his party ASAP, still annoyed the anime didn't really show his revolving door party.) I just gave her a generic witch-y name.

**Qinlongfei:** _*Pressure to write Motoyasu well intensifies*_ Yeah tho. There's at least ten different things between going to and living in Siltvelt that I can see happening to end Motoyasu, and I've only got counters planned for some of them so far. Others it's like... I mean... I guess I can either figure them out as I reach those hurdles, or else end the story and abrupt and tragic note. I'd prefer Motoyasu live though.


	6. Strip it all Away

**STA:** I vaguely recall something from Motoyasu's POV where he acts dismissive of storytelling as a general subject, but I can't remember where I read it. I wanna say is was the buffoonery chapter, but it might have been somewhere early in the spin-off. In any case, that's my basis for Motoyasu skipping over lore. Just for the record.

-x-

The main gate along the border was under heavy guard, with any passing carriages stopped and searched. While the possibility of making Motoyasu cling to the carriage's underside was discussed, the risk that a soldier might poke beneath with his spear was too great. Ultimately, the group decided their best course of action was to pass the border by walking through mountains.

"It may strain our budget to repurchase supplies, but once we've left Melromarc we can have others come from Siltvelt to meet us halfway with more funds."

"That's an awful lot of work."

"No expense is too great for the Shield Hero."

Motoyasu's complaint was about walking through the mountains, but didn't see a need to correct that miscommunication.

Supplies were split between the four of them. Even coins were divided, lest they be forced to split the group. Motoyasu couldn't help but notice he was trusted with a much smaller sum of money to guard, but he also had to carry only a few days' worth of food and one sleeping roll. If he complained that he wasn't carrying enough of one item, he might be made to lug more.

Besides, the demi-humans' kindness felt almost suspicious in its depths after the last time a red carpet was rolled and then yanked out from under him. Motoyasu walked a mental tightrope of wanting everything he felt owed by an isekai and fearing what would become of him if he acted greedy. A hero ought to have special privileges, or at least be given the basics needed to perform their heroic duties, but the world didn't work the way it should. That truth was a burn scar on Motoyasu's heart.

He scratched self-consciously at his chest before saddling up without a words as to his thoughts, and followed his benefactors into the hills.

Without half their equipment of the carriage that kept them off the ground and away from the wind, Motoyasu dreaded setting up camp that night. Mei, however, revealed herself to possess earth magic that let her craft a makeshift cave to repel the elements while the other two foraged for insulation from the dirt.

While watching Mei, Motoyasu's gaze flicked to his UI. HE had an MP bar. In Emerald Online, you could learn spells with tomes that took several days real time after initially activating, or you could pay real cash to get a crystal ball that would instantly unlock spells. (His parents, always eager to act like they had a firm and positive presence despite effecting living an ocean away, never refused him when he asked for the money for a new spell, so long as he framed it as helping his social life.) On Maslow's hierarchy of needs, 'cool magic tricks' came after basic sustenance, so it had slipped Motoyasu's mind after being summoned.

"When can I learn that?" Motoyasu asked.

"That was an advanced spell. You normally learn the basics first, like forming holes or launching rocks. I-I mean... Apologies, Motoyasu-sama. I should have asked how much magic you already know."

"Don't worry about it. I meant to ask when I can learn the basics,"

Mei shifted from foot to foot, working up the nerve to ask, "Were you able to have your affinity assessed? If you know you use earth magic, I can start lessons tonight."

"Affinities?"

"Yes. Everyone is born with certain affinities they're attuned to. The magic you learn has to correspond to your affinity."

That was _not_ how Emerald Online worked.

"It doesn't depend on your class?"

"Class? Oh. Class-up ceremonies can certainly unlock new magic abilities, but it has to branch off from those you already possess. I hear that heroes don't need to class-up, however."

Motoyasu studied Mei's clothing and equipment, then glanced to Baowen and Rella in the distance. None of them were obviously any given class. Their attire and weapons didn't scream 'rogue' or 'warrior' or 'mage'. They might be general adventurers. Or maybe... No. Classes had to be locked in place the same as when you registered you character's in Emerald Online. This had to be one more example of more detail. A little dash of realism. Weapon and armor limitations by class in the game were a manifestation of how you only had natural potential for certain equipment. The people of the living game world could wear what they saw fit and pick up any item-assuming they weren't glued to a shield that shocked them for trying to hold a knife-but they had to have some sort of hidden stats that determined what weapons they could learn _competently_, with their elemental affinity offering some hint as to the pre-destined class they would eventually select.

It wasn't that they got to choose their class roll when they hit level 40, like players in the game. The inhabitants of the world were like NPCs, with preset abilities and options that they didn't realize limited them. Were Mei to class-up, she might think she could pick any number of options, but she would ultimately select one that meshed with the ability to use earth magic.

"Um... Motoyasu-sama? You keep looking at me breasts."

"Just noticing your broach."

It looked a bit like what warrior class equipment often sported, but the color pallet was more akin to that of an archer class. It also, regrettably, pulled her cloak tight enough that there was no chance of peaking at her cleavage. Sure, you could see from the shape of the fabric that she was well endowed, but you couldn't see _enough_.

When no 'my face is up here' quip came, Motoyasu looked up at her to see if she might have stopped paying attention, and saw her gaze averted and face scarlet.

"Um... if the Shield Hero wishes for it... Th-that is... I believe the shushaku chieftan... Um... If I would be acceptable as one of your wives..."

"Marriage doesn't inter-" Motoyasu cut himself off before he could say something he regretted. Trying himself down to a single girl? Absolutely out of the question. And he wanted to make that clear to any potential love interests upfront, lest the Momiji-Ikuyo incident repeat itself. But had she just said _one of your wives?_ Finally! He'd fallen into the part of the isekai scenario that he'd wanted, with people assuming outright that the harem ending was the best relationship route!

This was how it should have been from day one. If someone told him _this_ was what being the Shield Hero entailed, he'd have played a shielder back in Japan to increase his odds of being summoned into the best position! A harem of cute animal girls perfectly made up for his rough start!

Although come to think of it, didn't Siltvelt have a lot of NPCs the didn't even look human? Some people liked to play as less human characters, and a regular in Motoyasu's old party had been great _because_ he was an animal type that had high attack, but gameplay and real life priorities differed. NPCs were NPCs and party members were party members. But when it came to women, supple skin beat a full body fur coat every time. Given his luck thus far, he couldn't discount the possibility that he would arrive in Siltvelt and immediately be informed that a requirement of receiving their hospitality was to marry a whale.

If it came to that, if multiple wives were an option, he absolutely needed to maintain the option of a cutie like Mei.

"So you're interested in me, are you?"

"U-um... forget I said anything."

"As if I could forget a single word spoken by such a lovely voice."

It was the boldest he'd been since the betrayal. Ah, the healing power of women. They might not inherently be angels, but many were still a blessing.

"I-I-I..."

Steam practically rose from Mei's face, she blushed so furiously. She looked left and right in a panic, then sagged forward.

"I-Is it fair for me to get a head start on the others like this?"

"They'll all have a chance. For now, I want to spend time with you."

"So... if I were to bear the Shield Hero's-"

"Mei! Motoyasu-sama!"

The moment evaporated with Rella's return.

Oh well. It gave Motoyasu more time to think of a suitably suave way to explain to Mei that kids weren't going to weigh him down any time in the near future.

"We have the supplies for... My apologies. Did I interrupt anything?"

"No! Motoyasu-sama and I were discussing magic lessons. It seems he doesn't know his affinity yet."

"Oh?" Rella gave the two an appraising look, then questioned Motoyasu instead. "Mei is to your liking?"

"She's positively adorable!"

"I see. Good. If she pleases you, Motoyasu-sama, then it was the right call to include her in this mission. Her father will be overjoyed to hear she's eligible for so great an honor."

Honor?

No sense worrying about it before they reached Siltvelt. He'd met the parents of a few girlfriends before, and it usually went over... None of those occasions ended in violence. If polygamy was cool in Siltvelt then meeting the family of a girl he took a shine to would be smoother sailing. Definitely.

No worries. None. The memories of past fathers were silly things to fret over. _He_ was silly for trembling when he went to sleep that night, watching Mei's face and thinking of how adorable she was no matter what her father was like.

-o-

He had a nightmare where they dragged him before Melromarc's throne. Naofumi stood front and center, denouncing Motoyasu as scum with lips curved in a knowing grin. Behind him, Mei sobbed and claimed that Motoyasu had promised her they could adopt children before pinning her down in bed.

He woke from that dream slower than he'd have liked, and buried his face in his sleeping roll to muffle his laughter. It was funny. An absurd dream.

Trauma? What trauma?

Women were the greatest goodness in the world. Myne could tarnish their existence by defying his belief in their inherent goodness, but she would not destroy it.

Motoyasu wriggled out of his sleeping roll, stood, and stretched. The moon was high, and a cold breeze whistled through the mountain range. There was some game a friend told him about with an atmosphere like this. Who would have thought it existed in Emerald Online as well?

If he stayed in Japan long enough, perhaps the game would have been patched so that the maps had this much serene detail.

"Trouble sleeping?"

He glanced back to see Rella up, watching him in concern.

"Just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it."

"You would laugh so hard, I'd have to throw myself off a cliff to escape the shame."

"It would be unacceptable for harm to befall the Shield Hero. I won't make you explain what happened."

Being in harm's way was the entire point of being a shielder. You put yourself in the line of fire so more fragile players could launch attacks without worrying about damage. But Motoyasu said nothing. He liked how excessively the the demi-humans doted on him. This was how the king of Melromarc treated Itsuki, and Motoyasu got to experience it without trampling over anyone. So that made him better.

"If you're worried about Melromarc's men, we'll have you safely outside the country by the end of tomorrow. Melromarc's political position is precarious after they tried to monopolize all four heroes for themselves, and when we bring word of how they lied about their intentions to let us take you somewhere you would be better cared for, they'll only be in more trouble. Attempting to pursue you once you've left their borders would guarantee war. If not with every nation seeking retribution for what they did, then at least with Siltvelt. Our people will not tolerate such abuse of our god."

Motoyasu steeled himself to come clean. "I'm not so much worried about the men as I am the chance that y-_God?_"

Between being declared a god worthy of going to war over and admitting he held the persistent, nagging fear that he was being buttered up in order to be used and betrayed again, one took higher precedent.

"Did Mei not explain it to you before? The Shield Hero is the central figure of our faith. It was a previous Shield Hero who founded Siltvelt, in fact."

"Was it?"

Motoyasu had a general memory of most of Emerald Online's quests, knew the mechanics in and out, had a mental map of the best areas for level grinding depending on your class and current level, and could recite from memory most of the locations where you found the best drops or rare monster encounters. But stories weren't a subject that ever held his attention, so the game's lore was a detail he overlooked. You didn't need lore to effectively beat monsters, and quests always gave you whatever information you needed to complete them.

He knew so much more about the world than Naofumi did upon summoning, yet felt so woefully ignorant and unprepared to live in it.

For what felt like the millionth time, Motoyasu lamented that he wound up with the shield. Had he received any other weapon, he wouldn't have had to deal with any askew Melromarc bias. He could focus exclusively on leveling up and getting the best equipment for his weapon without having to mind things like political strife and world history. Why did his time as a hero have to revolve so heavily around the one game aspect he always overlooked?

Staring off into the distance, feeling sorry for himself, Motoyasu was caught off guard when Rella grabbed his arm and held it tight. Did she realize she had sandwiched it between her breasts?

She wasn't as well-endowed as Mei, but the top she wore showed a little cleavage, and at that vantage point she was practically asking him to look. Motoyasu peered down and gave his eyes a quick feast before drawing his gaze up to meet her face.

"Like what you see?"

Wait. She was _actually_ asking him to look?

Well then.

"The view from here is pleasant."

"I'm glad you think so." Rella leaned forward to give him a peck on the cheek, then drew back. "Mei is of higher birth than I, but even after we arrive in Siltvelt, I hope there's room for me in your schedule."

"...Yeah."

Rella retreated, returning to their extinguished campfire and laying back down to sleep.

Alone again, Motoyasu stared out at the mountain range and pondered again what kind of world he had stumbled into that women were so openly inviting. He considered himself a master of flirtation, but there was a world of difference between being able to get the number of any girl at a party and two different girls who you'd only known for a week suggesting on the same night that they would happily be one of many women to warm his bed. He'd only _sort of_ mastered the art of convincing girls that he could casually date all of them at once, and as Ikuyo and Momiji taught him, there were holes in that setup.

He slapped his cheeks to shake himself from his stupor. This was an isekai adventure. It was _supposed_ to be a fun romp full of women, and he was currently headed to the country that was meant to summon him. Melromarc and that fake ally messed with his head, but now he had companions who were going to great lengths for his safety and security. Things could be good in this world. Things were _back_ to being good.

As soon as they were past the border, he would ask those three again about party registration. Whatever the situation looked like once they reached Siltvelt, he wanted them as full-fledge allies. And whatever the expectation was with him and women, there was absolutely room in his heart for Rella and Mei. There was always room in his heart for as many women as wanted in, just so long as they were the sort of angels that women ought to be.

-o-

"It's out best bet. The guard is thinnest here."

Motoyasu hoisted up his own pack, looking at at the strip of land Baowen gestured to. After another day of walking, they'd yet to reach a point that Melromarc didn't have under guard, and the next mountain they would need to cross in order to continue their trek across the border unimpeded was impossible to climb with their current equipment. Going around it would take over a week, and place them far from any known towns once they did cross. They would likely run out of rations before they were able to resupply, with no guarantee the border wouldn't be guarded on the other side of the mountain as well. Baowen thought they might be able to hunt, but the idea of being out in the wilderness without a reliable supply of food had paled Motoyasu so rapidly that Mei thought his fever had returned and he might faint.

So here they were, scouting out the thinnest section of border security to have the best chances of breaking through.

Motoyasu was still level 9, even though there had been monster encounters that the other three dealt with. Once they made it past the guards, Motoyasu could add the three to his party and gain experience and level up.

He'd come to learn that none of them were particularly high level themselves. The understanding when they were sent to offer him passage to Siltvelt was that Melromarc was willing to let go off the heroes they illicitly summoned. Rella and Baowen were selected for their ability to appear non-threatening and negotiate well. Mei... Motoyasu wasn't entirely sure what she was chosen for, but Rella and Baowen said she was performing her job perfectly, and she was the cutest and sweetest of the group, so he was glad for her presence. Still, not a one of them was selected in order to deal with a situation like the one they were in. They all had their fingers crossed that the strongest guards were stationed along more readily accessibly border points. Motoyasu could only listen to Baowen strategize as he lamented that, even among weaker allies, he was still too far behind to be of use.

It was when among those who had yet to class up was when shielders were still somewhat useful. This ought to be his one time to shine, and he was useless as ever.

Stupid shield. It should've cursed Itsuki with its presence.

No! Wrong mindset. On the other side of the border awaited a paradise where the Shield Hero was held in high esteem and it was expected that he take multiple women. Who even cared about being a strong hero? If being a hero were all that special where combat was concerned, his designated country wouldn't want to place an entire army around him while he did his job,

"That settles it." Baowen rose to his feet. "Motoyasu-sama, please pull up your hood. The guards will certainly have your description, and we can't pretend you're a demi-human refugee if they see you're human."

"Right."

He flipped up the hood of his cloak and followed his benefactors through the edge of the tree line, creeping as close as they dared to the border without stepping out into plain view.

"What are the odds we can cross without even being spotted?" Motoyasu asked. The guards were positioned far enough away that it seemed possible.

"Decent. A bigger concern is that Melromarc possesses a system along their border that can alert them to any crossing. Because of the cost, they shouldn't use it outside times of war, but to station guards in so remote a location... Just how determined are they to hold you captive?"

"Very," Rella said. "They say the queen used the fact that all four heroes were in her domain as a power play. This wasn't merely a trap to lure us in and ensnare us. This way the can tell their own people that they're justified in their treatment of Motoyasu-sama for how he attempted to ally with an enemy nation. What's more, they can tell the rest of the world that his continued presence in Melromarc despite our announcing our plans to bring him to his rightful home is proof that he has chosen to back _them_. If the queen can pretend that all four of the heroes who the world depends on are at her fingertips, that gives her tremendous negotiation power, but if even one slips through her fingers, she loses face at the international conference. To say nothing of the trouble Melromarc must know they'll be in when Motoyasu-sama can freely speak to other nations of the abuse he suffered at their hands."

He hoped the queen lay awake each night dreading the moment he escaped her clutches.

The plan was a simple one. Run across. If spotted, pretend to be fleeing persecution. If the guards were the sort who sold demi-humans to slavers, fight. Mei knew some battle magic and Rella and Baowen had weapons on them. Motoyasu might even be able to pitch in, although he had been very explicitly instructed to only do so if he was confident he could raise his shield in time, and to not rely on his general defense stats. Those were instructions he could get behind. That weapons seller taught him that a properly leveled human could hurt him far worse than the scrub-tier monsters he brushed off, and he wasn't eager to lose an arm.

Before they stepped out of the trees, Rella gave him a wink.

"There's a town with a hot spring not far from here. Once we're out safe, why not take it easy? I hear they have a co-ed bath."

"I was already motivated to survive, but thank you for the extra temptation. I'll look forward to it."

"Later," Baowen said. "Now, move!"

Motoyasu took off running at the command, stifling a laugh of relief as he realized he could keep up with his benefactors. Lousy attack and low levels didn't drag his speed down.

The line Baowen had indicated as the barrier was a hundred yards away. Once they crossed it, they would still need to get out of sight.

Seventy-five feet away and the bounce of his stride knocked his hood loose. He grabbed it and pulled it back up before it could fall all the way down and expose his head. The shield snagged on his sleeve as he lowered his arm back down, and he stumbled for two steps as he hastily covered the other incriminating evidence.

Fifty-two feet away and it seemed like using his shield arm to grab his hood hadn't been a critical mistake.

At fifty feet an arrow sunk itself into Rella's neck.

Motoyasu turned to look as she stumbled, a hand grasping at the shaft as blood dripped from her neck. That was right where Momiji had attempted to dig her knife into him a second time. His feet stopped as Rella's stumbled over themselves and she fell forward, hair fanning out around her. She was only and arm's span away, yet when he reached out to try and break her fall, she had already tilted so far that his fingers barely grazed her.

If he'd been more careful covering the shield...

Why was it that he _had_ to hide the shield in the first place?

Rella hit the ground with a thud, the arrow jutting out the back of her neck on impact.

Motoyasu's feet stopped.

How did Itsuki's bow work? He couldn't recall seeing a quiver. Did the bow create arrows, and would they fade after being fired?

He lifted his head to search for the shooter.

"Rella!"

Baowen's took a sharp turn, darting at a speed three times that they'd been running at towards a soldier with a bow. Not Itsuki. Too tall, and Itsuki couldn't lift the longsword the man grabbed as Baowen rushed him.

"Motoyasu-sama!" Mei seized Motoyasu's still outstretched hand and pulled him forward to the border. "We must get you to safety!"

He stumbled the first three steps before finding his footing. As they ran, he threw back his cloak so it wouldn't get in the way of his shield. Mei could focus on directing him as his eyes darted right and left in search of other attacks that he needed to block. If only he had more skills. What skills did shielders even unlock anyway? All they were good for was blocking attacks. There had to be some skill he could learn that would keep her from harm.

Useless, useless, useless. All he could do was raise a shield to her if he saw an attack coming and hope his defense was enough to block it. She could do that much for herself. And there was nothing he could do for someone who separated from him like Baowen.

He looked at Baowen, locked in combat now with five men and too overwhelmed to do anything about the reinforcements running from other posts.

"Focus on escaping, Motoyasu-sama!"

He tore his gaze away. Five yards to the boarder. A light flashed as they past the marker Baowen had indicated. That ought to be it. He was out. Free of Melromarc and all their crap.

Cries of alarm and a rally for more soldiers sounded in the distance from either side.

The outcrop of rocks and the slope that Baowen's plan said they keep running until they were hidden behind was beneath their feet before an arrow whizzed past Motoyasu's ear.

"I thought we were safe past this point!"

"From view of those guards' posts, yes!"

"They're following us!"

"They left their posts!"

Stupid real life! In a proper video game, NPCs stopped pursuing you once you got out of a certain range!

"Why can't they have worse AI!?"

Mei looked over her shoulder to see how far away the guards were.

"Baowen has most of them occupied. If we get away from the archers before reinforcements come, my magic might be enough for the rest."

Motoyasu scanned for places they could potentially take cover. There was more forest in the distance, but it was all rocks and ravines for at least a thousand yards. He only glanced at Baowen for a second, but that was enough to tell it was a losing battle. Could they make it that far before the rest of the border guards came after them?

Shouldn't they help...

Could Baowen make it out?

And Rella-

"Motoyasu-sama, we've already crossed the border," Mei said, calmer than before. "So long as you don't walk over it again, it won't trigger a second alarm. Anywhere you move now, so long as you do so unseen, will go unnoticed by Melromarc's soldiers."

"But they're looking right at us!"

"I know." Still running with Motoyasu in one hand, Mei held her other out behind her. "I am the source of power of all power. Hear my words and understand them. Earth Wall!"

A wall of stone rose up behind them, too high to climb and just wide enough to gain them an extra half a minute as the guards ran around it. That wouldn't be enough for them to make it into the forest unseen.

"Mei?"

"I have enough magic for this! I just need to move a little faster."

Yet she came to a complete stop. Motoyasu ran past her and nearly had his arm yanked off as he tried to be the one who pulled her forward.

"M-Mei...?"

"Make sure they don't see you."

She shoved him.

Focused as he'd been on their destination, he hadn't seen the fissure they passed. He stumbled backwards into it, landing ten feet down, and was too stunned by the blow to notice her next incantation until the fissure shifted and the top merged until there was a hole on the far end just small enough for him to fit through.

He gasped to refill the air the fall knocked from his lungs and put a hand to his mouth to smother his coughing. It was several minutes before he could worm out of the pack that weighed him down and, get onto all fours, and crawl to that opening. He could still hear the shouts of guards, but it was distant. Mei must have found her own place to hide as well, right? Surely. And she told him to hide, so he did. He waited and waited for the sounds of guards to fade, and then waited for the sound to return, but it didn't. Shouldn't they be searching the area for him?

When the sun stopped shining through that whole and moonlight poured in, he pulled himself out and looked around. The ground between him and that forest they needed to flee into had become a mess of earthen walls. Barrier after barrier meant to slow pursuers.

Had Mei run into the forest after all? Why leave him behind if she made it out okay?

He went around each wall carefully, peeking each time to ensure an ambush wasn't waiting on the other side, and at last made it into the woods. The ground was trampled by soldiers' boots, and he pulled his hood back up and did his best to emulate his character from the game when moving in stealth mode. Slow, careful steps, avoiding anything underfoot that might crunch too obviously. They hadn't arranged a meeting point if they split up. Could he even locate landmarks without those three's help?

Three...

Rella was dead.

If Baowen survived, what punishment would he face as a criminal demi-human who tried to aid the shield demon?

Where was Mei?

Thirty minutes into his wandering, he at last heard a voice. Seeing no trunks wide enough to hide behind, he scrambled up a tree and made sure his cloak covered and vivid colors, trusting the dark fabric and the night to keep him from being spotted by any cursory glances.

"-bitch must have split up with him to play decoy. When did you see him last?"

"Now that you mention it, I only caught a glimpse of her going into the trees. They might have parted as soon as she started throwing magic around."

"I thought it was suspicious that she didn't use a single spell to attack."

"You three, head north and south and see if he might have taken a different path through the forest. We'll search around those structures she made for the shield demon."

They passed right beneath him, never looking up, and Motoyasu clamped down on his tongue to keep from revealing himself when he caught sight of his pursuers.

Five men in armor with Melromarc's crest. Three with bows, two splitting off then and there in one direction and the last going the opposite way. The remaining two men, with swords on their hips, dragged Mei's dead body behind them as they went to search for the hiding spot she had left for him.

What else had he expected?

He was just a shielder. Not even a good tank class. Useless at higher levels and not even able to level properly. It wasn't as if he could protect her or anyone else.

After everything he went through, he should have known Melromarc would never allow him allies who sincerely meant him well.

Why had he even tried to fix his situation? If he'd just accepted that a shielder was screwed from the start, Rella and Mei and Baowen would all still be alive and well. Even if it meant starvation, if he was doomed anyway, if he just rolled over and took it, he wouldn't have dragged someone who was kind to him down with him.

Motoyasu was mercifully spared from seeing Mei's beautiful face marred with blood for long. Letters flashed in his vision, and the soldiers were gone by the time the image cleared.

**Curse Series Conditions Met**

-x-

**STA:** So remember how Naofumi gets killed at the border in that first spin-off loop?

I felt like last chapter may have been a little slow, but since I settled on the border attack as when he gets the first curse message, I wanted the characters I killed off to be around for at least a couple chapters. Even if just feeling hopeless in general is more what's supposed to get to him with the deaths just piling onto that. It gave me more time to show Motoyasu getting his hopes up too.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this upbeat chapter about the promise of harems and people suggesting to Motoyasu that they're DTF.

* * *

**Echonic:** What? Siltvelt? Evil? How could a nekomimi harem paradise be evil?

**pinkdog16:** I hope this offering was to your liking.


	7. A Single Driving Force

**STA:** While in hindsight part of the reason that Naofumi got his curse notification an entire volume before actually unlocking the wrath shield might have been Raphtalia talking him down from the brink... Yeah. Anyway, for everyone curious about what sin I went with, you'll have to wonder a bit longer.

-x-

Motoyasu sat in that tree for hours, waiting for Melromarc's soldiers to return and find him. Discovery was an inevitability; success was impossible. He'd been thrown into a world determined to see him fail, with nothing but a useless shield to try and stave off the inevitable. He was done.

He thought he was done, but hunger pains eventually pulled him down the tree and back to the hole Mei tossed him in. There were no guards there, so they must have either missed the hole completely or not seen his luggage in the dark, and moved on either way.

After a small meal of jerky and dry bread, Motoyasu sat and contemplated his next move. He still didn't know what he could forage to eat or how to clean game, and his pack contained no tools for hunting. He didn't even have some means of ending his suffering quickly, should he run out of food with no likelihood that he would procure more. The shield probably wouldn't let him handle any item up to the task in the first place. Would it be more painful to die in the wilderness, wandering the woods with no idea where he was going as his supplies dwindled to nothing, or did he want to die quickly on some soldiers sword?

His first day out in the field, before everyone turned on him, he assumed that if his HP hit zero, he would respawn in the summoning room the same as in Emerald Online. If you 'died', you lost items and a level and returned to the last registered respawn point. You didn't _die_ in isekai stories. He knew that much. But what did dying of hunger mean? Would he respawn with full HP but an empty stomach that continued to chip away at his health? It was even possible that dying meant being sent back to his original world, and the only thing that stopped him from looking for a high enough point to throw himself from then and there was the very real chance that if he did so, he would land back in Melromarc's hands.

Dying seemed impossible his first day, but by the time he feared death by starvation, he had been certain without even realizing it that death would be permanent.

He had one-in-three odds that testing the theories would end well, and nothing had ended well for him thus far.

They said Melromarc benefited politically from claiming he threw his lot in with them, so if he wound up back in their grasp, they would drag him to some city where Naofumi wasn't, let him starve, and then show off to the other nations that the Shield Hero remained within _their_ borders despite meeting emissaries when questioned. If he was going to starve either way, he would starve the way that gave him a chance of fucking Melromarc over. If that gut instinct was right and death was death, then people could find the Shield Hero's corpse in the woods past the border and realize he died trying to escape. Melromarc would deserve every last bit of political fallout for letting a hero die.

Hopefully.

If anyone cared that the shielder died.

It wasn't like he was any worse off if no one gave a shit.

With a new goal, Motoyasu saddled up and snuck back into the woods. Walking in the direction he thought to be where the guards said they already searched, he put one foot ahead of the next until fatigue demanded he stop. There, he unfurled his sleeping roll and called it a night.

-o-

The sun was high when Motoyasu woke the next day. He ate, packed up, and set off in the opposite direction of the mountain range. Wherever his body gave out, it had to be far from Melromarc. He would be discovered having made an earnest effort to get away so the rest of the world could be furious with his loss. That one last spark of resistance was the only drive he had left, and he let that guide him.

Emerald Online wasn't open world. There were new maps that loaded without always blending perfectly, and certain points you could see on an illustrated world map that weren't accessible within the game. He appeared to be in one such area. His path meandered, with the only points of reference being that he should move away from the mountains and, when he spotted them in the distance, away from soldiers who sometimes patrolled the area. When one soldier-prompted detour led him to a stream in the unfamiliar terrain, he walked along it as much as he could.

Speaking of things not in the game, he couldn't help but notice a number of plants that could be harvested for potions or cooking. He had a friend with apothecary skills, and reflexively plucked two before recalling that said friend was back home, enjoying a game that was only a game.

Were the herbs edible? It had been so long since he couldn't afford potions in the game, he'd forgotten which plants you could or couldn't eat to regain HP.

Unsure what else to do with the plants he'd already plucked, he fed them into his shield to use once he recalled their edibility, and watched with dull surprise as they unlocked shield forms he hadn't seen before.

Increased potion efficiency and higher quality item harvesting... He wasn't in a situation that potions could help, but that second skill looked like a useful one, and he changed to his new Leaf Shield. If he did find anything he knew to be edible, it might make his foraging run smoother.

The goal was merely to make it obvious to others that he wanted to be rid of Melromarc. Traveling as far as he could would hopefully be enough, but just in case he did respawn, surviving long enough to find someone and tell them his plight would ensure he accomplished the only mission he still had in life. He wasn't so desperate (yet) as to eat anything he found, but if he ran out of rations with no end of the forest in sight, he might reach that point.

-o-

Four days into wandering, he came to the end of the woods. Without a road to follow, he continued along the stream. Two others had joined it in the time since he began to walk along it, and it was thicker and faster as a result. At some point, it had crossed his mind that following it long enough would not only provide sustained access to water, but might lead him straight into some manner of settlement.

What towns on this part of the map were along rivers? He couldn't remember. It was mostly big cities that he spent his time in while playing. The little towns were just points you sometimes had to stop at for a quest.

Travel was slower than it ought to be. At level 9, he often had to backpedal to avoid stronger monsters that came searching for a drink. Once, he even had to leave the stream, walk a ways without it, and then locate another point to avoid a monster that made its nest in the water. But open fields were _usually_ the territory of lower level monsters. Especially if you neared a road, and he had to come across one eventually. Or not. At the rate that he was going, he only had a week's worth of rations left. Attempting to cut how much he allowed himself failed when he realized that he didn't have the energy to travel through the thickest parts of the woods on an empty stomach. If he didn't find a town before then, that would be it.

-o-

On day six, Motoyasu revised his assumption of what difficulty of monsters he should expect when a goat-like monster attacked him from behind.

The blow knocked the wind from his lungs and sent him sprawling, and he coughed up blood when he tried to push himself up on all fours.

He recalled these monsters from when he first started devoting more time than he should to gaming. Krampus. They had been small fry for his character by the time he was summoned, but you couldn't take them on at lower levels. It had blown right past his defense, and that was the only stat he had going for him. More than half of his HP was gone just like that.

He'd already unlocked the passive bonuses of all of his weapon copied shields that his level let him access, but switched to one with spiked edges and a modest defense boost while bracing for a charge. His attack stat mattered more than the sharpness, but he had no other weapons.

The krampus reared as if planning to rush him again, and Motoyasu attempted to shove to his feet only for the pack on his back to throw him off balance. He tore it off as the monster charged and threw it before leaping to the side. The pack hit the monster in the face and startled it out of its charge. That gave Motoyasu the time to put a safe distance between it and him.

It also put all of his rations between himself and a monster goat.

Forget that. A safe distance was more important.

From across the stream, on higher grounds, Motoyasu watched while the monster pulled the food from his pack and ate it, munched through a canteen he hadn't even noticed he had, then meandered on its way.

Well... He couldn't blame Melromarc for that one.

Nah. Screw it. Chance encounters aside, it was Melromarc's fault he was all alone and under-leveled when he ran into that thing.

The dumb luck shouldn't have surprised him, but he sat for a while and contemplated it. He hadn't expected to find a town where he might be able to buy food before he ran out anyway... but what the hell? What god did he piss off to be attacked by an out of place monster? It was like the world itself was giving him the middle finger. At least that monster couldn't mess with items stored in his shield. He retrieved his potion from his menu and drank it while reflecting on his ludicrous misfortune.

Out of the corner of his eye, from the hill he scrambled up while escaping, he noticed smoke. From a chimney? A campfire?

Motoyasu gave the world a finger of his own and rose to his feet. The pack was too tattered to use and had proven an unreliable storage unit anyway. Those bronze coins from before should have taught him about leaving things where others could take them. He absorbed what remained of his supplies-the sleeping roll and the thirty silver coins he'd been entrusted with-into his shield for safe storage.

**Sleeping Roll Shield**

**abilities locked equip bonus: defense 1**

**Equip effect: HP recovery speed up while sleeping**

**Status enhancement: none selected**

That looked like a useful equip effect, but if that shield wasn't big enough for him to sleep in then he'd made a terrible mistake. He had no time to check before the next notice appeared.

**Silver Coin Shield**

**abilities locked equip bonus: defense 2**

**Equip effect: bartering skills up**

**Status enhancement: none selected**

How did that even work? Did the shield make him intuitively better at saying the right thing? Did it make people more likely to cave when he asked for a lower price? Wasn't that some sort of subtle form of brainwashing?

He resolved not to use the brainwashing shield. Pity he was down to only twenty-nine silver coins thanks to it. For whatever difference it made.

Come to think of it, while there _was_ a sleeping roll item in Emerald Online, and your funds did show up in your menu, the game didn't let you access them from your inventory! Seeing the remains of his funds stored alongside his balloon scraps felt strange.

He could puzzle it out later. More importantly, the Sleeping Roll Shield did indeed produce a shield large enough to encase himself in. It wasn't as firm as some of his other shields nor as soft as the old sleeping roll, but it felt harder to penetrate than the roll had been. Climbing inside while it was attached to his arm was the only trick.

So he still had a way to keep warm at night, even if Melromarc dragged him back and stripped him of everything they could. Which they would, if he dallied.

He absorbed the tattered pack into his shield as well but predictably unlocked nothing for it, then set out to tell someone about Melromarc's scheme.

-o-

The sun was setting as Motoyasu walked up to the front door of a blissfully familiar looking building. This was a filolial ranch. One of the first locations for purchasing steeds in Emerald Online. In the game, once you unlocked more ranches, you could buy any steed from any location, but he hadn't unlocked that, and he suspected that was one of those gameplay versus reality discrepancies.

He had thirty-nine silver coins on him. Even if dragons were unlocked, he couldn't purchase one.

He knocked on the door. The man who answered looked strikingly familiar. Did he have the same face as the NPC from the game?

"This is an unusual time for a visit. How can I help you?"

'How can I help you?' That was the sole line the NPC was programmed to ask before the shop menu opened up. How strangely nostalgic.

"I'm the Shield Hero."

The rancher stared at him as if that somehow wasn't enough info.

"Um… I don't recall putting in a request with Melromarc's guild… Or doing anything that would make them send… I'm sorry. The Shield Hero? Whether I was in need or in trouble, even if it warranted a hero, I can't see them having sent you first. What exactly are you doing here?"

Oh. Right. Melromarc wanted everyone to think he spurned the other nations.

"They didn't send me. I'm running from them. I… A party from Siltvelt was guiding me, but they were killed, and I couldn't find a road and monsters took my food and... I was told they had permission to take me to another country because everyone in Melromarc treated me like… poorly for having the shield, but there were men at the border trying to prevent me from leaving. I just… even if they drag me back again, I needed to tell someone that I'm not there by choice."

Was he tearing up? He was tearing up. How embarrassing.

"No kidding," the rancher said. He looked more perplexed than sympathetic, but given a moment to take in Motoyasu's babbling, his face darkened. "So they'd go that far to hoard the heroes for themselves? It's like they want the rest of the world to declare war on them."

Please and thank you, world. You owe that much.

The rancher have him a good look over. He'd done a better job after seeing the camps his dead benefactors set up of fairing outside. He knew how to gather insulation before laying out his sleeping roll. But he'd been outdoors for sometime, bathing in a stream and sleeping on the ground. His clothes were more substantial than what he wore when his life collapsed around him, and no monsters had chewed on him. He wasn't even that bloody. Compared to how he must have looked when Naofumi saved him, he was put together. Compared to any normal person, he was not.

"Hey, this isn't a prank, is it? You're the real Shield Hero?"

Motoyasu held his shield up and changed its form twice.

"I see… I suppose you're here because you need some means of getting away faster."

"They're going to catch me either way." Why did the man look like Motoyasu said something shocking? Melromarc had made it clear he couldn't succeed. "I just needed someone to know what's happening, so they can't pretend to the other nations that I support them."

The thought used to make his chest ache, but he'd come to accept it. Still, he rubbed at his shield arm as the implications of having successfully gotten the message out flitted through his mind. If Melromarc was exposed now, was it worth the risk that he might respawn if he tried to end things before he could be recaptured, or did he want to enjoy his fleeting freedom as long as he could on the assumption that there was no dying in the game world?

It was hard to think when the throbbing in his arm nearly eclipsed his thoughts. He almost missed a vital reply from the rancher.

"That… hey, we're not exactly a world power here. Heck, I get more business from Melromarc than I do my own kingdom. If I started speaking up like that, our king wouldn't stop Melromarc from silencing me."

With his stomach already bruised from the krampus attack, that verbal gut-punch knocked the wind from Motoyasu. He deflated in the doorway, sagging over, and fell silent.

"Um… I-I know! I'm not in a position where I can give one out for nothing, but did your allies leave you with any means to get by? I can still sell you one of my filolials. I'll have to claim it was stolen if Melromarc traces it back to me, but if it puts them in their place for that stunt they pulled, I'm willing to take just enough coin to break even."

Miserly coward.

But it was better than no help. Motoyasu drew in a breath and took mental stock of his situation, then told the man, "I have Thirty-nine silver, and no means of earning more. I don't have much to sell, and if I do make it to another town, I need enough to buy food."

Well, come to think of it, he did have one thing that people might pay more than a few bronze for. But not while he was filthy. Besides, that worked better when you were a woman. And really, after being accused of being a sexual predator, he'd rather die than hear what people said if he attempted that route.

"Thirty-nine… That's no good… my best racer retired recently, and I haven't finished training up his successors. I've got a buyer who's promised to purchase plenty of eggs from me who will probably pay even if it comes out that you were here, but he operates out of Melromarc, so I can't count on that. I can't afford to give you any of my filolials at a significant loss… Hm… I normally couldn't part with a premium egg for less than forty, but given the circumstances… I won't sell you one of the ones I'd stake bets on, but I could give you another nice egg. They're all bred for racing, so there's no guarantee you'll get a bird that can lap other racers, but if they just have to carry you and out-pace Melromarc's forces, any of my filolials would do. You need to resupply too, right. Nine silver… that should only get you a week or so at inns, but if you're not adverse to camping that can cover a good food budget. How does that sound? It might take a few weeks to raise, but even if you're caught, it should be easier to escape next time."

A filolial egg. Did he even bother to buy filolials ever in Emerald Online?

Whatever. He had a road to follow, and a steed would grant him much faster access to a town large enough to risk speaking out when he imparted his message. He might even make it far enough to register a new respawn point. Failing that, he still had his backup plan of 'die and cross your fingers that one way or the other you don't respawn.' If he was out of Melromarc then he might be charged fair prices, so nine silver could cover meals well enough, and he had a permanent sleeping bag in his shield.

An egg though. That might take a few days to hatch, and then time to raise. In Emerald Online, if you didn't fork out real yen for an adult, filolial eggs didn't grow into something rideable for two week in the absence of leveling. And he couldn't level. Buyers remorse hit him hard as the rancher placed the egg, incubated and sealed, into his hands.

Seeing his dismay, the rancher said, "Your food was eaten, right? I just finished dinner. I'll pack up the leftovers for you. Will you be able to feed this one?"

Feed it? You never had to feed steeds in the game.

"I'll manage."

"Soft beans when they're little."

"Obviously."

"I'd offer you a bed for the night, but the longer you're here… Well… If you go over the hill, I train the young ones for running out there. Monsters don't cross through much, so it's a safe spot to set up camp. By foot, you can make it to town by just before noon."

-o-

The Sleeping Roll Shield wasn't as soft, but it was warm, and it offered more coverage if a monster came across him in the night than his previous camping arrangements had. It also proved easy to hop out of despite the unwieldiness of climbing in. The training grounds were smooth and flat, and the sky was clear. Even though he had no cave or thick cluster of trees to use as a meager shelter, it seemed it would be a good night.

Eggs went into inventory in Emerald Online, but the Holy Shield said he wasn't allowed to absorb living creatures. One more reason the purchase had been a dumb idea. If Melromarc soldiers stumbled upon him while he slept, he'd banked on the possibility that he could, with the egg hidden in his inventory, raise it in secret. It might be confiscated if they found he had something on him that could help him manage on his own or make an easier escape during a second border run.

To keep his investment safe, Motoyasu held it in his arms as he slept. Pressed down beneath his feet was a new pack. The rancher had generously taken his tattered one, deemed it salvageable, and traded him a rucksack with food to last him a day or two and a few other supplies that the man could afford to part with that might be of help.

-x-

**STA:  
**Motoyasu: You have to _feed_ your animals? Since when did they need food?  
Also Motoyasu: I already know what to feed this thing. Stop lecturing me.

Anyway, a sleeping bag shield might fall more into the "armor" category than into a shield itself, but if Naofumi can just deadass sling a book over his arm then I feel like a sleeping bag is fair game. Besides, Motoyasu needs an inconspicuous shield, and it's not like he's going to pick up a book unprompted.

* * *

**FearfulFan1987:** Will do, sir! I'm happy (kinda) that you're pleased with the story thus far.

**Echonic:** Inconceivable! Next you'll be telling me nonsense like Motoyasu's obsession with Filo getting worse as the story progresses! Cease these lies!

**wakingmeupishard:** You can never say too many times how much you love this fic, actually. Moto's curse was tricky for me though. In the main source of inspiration for this fic, even if he gets really angry about his treatment, he calms down as soon as Nao start's being nice to him, so wrath didn't quite fit, and nothing up until this point really does gel with lust either. (I did nix a potential 'keep him in Melromarc' idea where Nao didn't help and he unlocked envy after failing to steal food.) But I had fun with the sin I picked. As for the RPG thing, he does eventually give up that mindset in canon, so there's a basis for him to abandon it here. And on the matter of pursuit, I suppose it would be a spoiler whether he has an encounter or manages to avoid any (further) trouble on his journey.

**alicemisuzu:** Thanks. I'm really trying to draw from all the source material so it's consistent with what's known in canon without making it seem like a rehash of an existing plot.

**fractalman:** No comments on the specific curse.

**pinkdog16:** Intersting proposal. How many offering before I can be declared nugget's overlord?

**Victor John Foxfire:** Motoyasu is operating off the framework of what was allowed in his game, and given that it's suggested in the source material that he went straight for high level monsters to absorb and smithwork and skipped over all the random misc items and scrubs that Naofumi stretched into as many absorbs as possible, I've taken the liberty of interpreting that as "a lot of the smaller items and monsters weren't absorbable in the game." As part of a means to explain how he fails so badly as Shield Hero in Aneko's short despite having more knowledge of mechanics. Hence Motoyasu being surprised when he unlocked the balloon shields because they weren't in Emerald Online. The weapons canonically are restricted by what their wielder believes or doesn't believe, so I'm trying to work my way through Motoyasu stumbling on things that force him to expand his idea of things beyond his game. (And it's not like he's made no effort to acquire shields. He did weapon-copy an entire store on day one and gripe about a lack of materials for his upgrade method.)


	8. Acedia

Motoyasu woke the next morning sore, but with slightly higher HP than the day before. The shield's healing effect as nice. Passive HP recovery wasn't a thing in the game, but of course people healed over time when you actually lived through it. Gameplay versus reality. People healed with time and games wanted you to manage potions and healing spells.

He crawled out of the shield, grimacing at the pain, and lifted his shirt to take stock. His entire stomach was blue. The bruise from that goat would take some time to fade. But he escaped any organ rupture. At least, the fact that he felt better the morning after than he had when the injury occurred made him assume there was no serious internal damage.

It had been late by the time he left the rancher's house, stomach filled with warm leftovers and hopes a little higher for having had a good meal. The rancher wouldn't dare speak against Melromarc, but Motoyasu had stumbled his way back into civilization, and he needed only follow the road and spread his message. He'd already told one person more than he thought he'd manage to tell. He might truly get to tell more. He was outside Melromarc now, too. Even if soldiers were searching for him and the king needed him back before he got the kingdom in trouble, he was _out _of the country with their blasted church. Even if people wouldn't spread his message, they might still _help_ him for a change. If he told enough commoners, maybe merely whispering it to friends and family would help the truth travel to other nations.

With spirits renewed, he looked through all the other nice things the rancher had left him. Old clothes, worn, but soft and clean. They wouldn't last for long and a few shirts already had holes, but simply _having_ more to wear was nice. There was a bag of beans about the size of Motoyasu's head which he supposed was for feeding the filolial. A sheathed dagger, which he grabbed and lifted to inspect without the shield shocking him. It still jumped from his hand when he wondered if he had perhaps the shield decided he needed other weapons after all with everything that happened. When he attempted to pick it up again merely to toss back into the satchel, however, he could grab it without issue.

So other weapons were fine as long as he didn't try and treat them like a usable weapon? Made sense. He had been able to briefly hold a sword that first day, and he would be hardpressed to cook if he couldn't use a kitchen knife. How sad, to have spent several weeks in the world without yet testing that.

The dagger's blade was too dull to cut neatly, but it beat nothing. He pinched a blade of grass between his fingers and sawed off the tip to confirm the theory.

Nice. Now if he somehow managed to kill something with meat on it, he could skin it and cook. He even had something to cook with, since he'd been given a dented pan. Cooking was a total option so long as he figured out how to start a fire. The pack contained a black rock filled with nicks, but no lighter or other useful tool.

In addition to food for the filolial, he had meat that would last the day, vegetables that might be good a bit longer, and bread that he could subsist on when all else failed. Even if it molded, he had college buddies who would pick that stuff off and eat the rest. Amazing how, at the same time last month, he thought of instant ramen as something his poor friends had to subsist on while he could treat it as a quick meal when both cooking and eating out were a bother. His perspective on food shifted so radically that he now tried to remember their complaints about how tight their budget was so he could use the experiences as advice to scrape by.

Had he been a bad friend? Maybe he should have spent less money on loot boxes and treated people to lunch more often. If he ever made it back to Japan, he would absolutely do that.

He chowed down on half of the meat to keep his stomach from being unhappy with him before wrapping the rest up to have as dinner. It was only good for one day, so no sense being frugal with it!

All in all, it looked like he was set for food for the day. Storing those items in the shield looked safer... except all of the food items were once that you could acquire in game, so he had no way of knowing what precisely would unlock a new shield rather than drop into his inventory. In some hypothetical wonder scenario where he didn't have to worry about how long he could count on steady access to food, he could try absorbing excess to unlock any food item-related shields, and then he wouldn't have to worry in the future about losing precious rations to weapon unlocks. Until then, he would cross his fingers that no other monsters ate out of his new bag.

A dagger shield seemed unlikely if he couldn't hold weapons and, frankly, would be more useful than the dagger itself if it did unlock. He fed that to the shield and was mildly disappointed when it appeared in his inventory. The clothes he could similarly store. Next he dropped the rock in. and was relieved he was all alone and hadn't asked anyone about it, as doing so prompted a message to pop up.

**Flint Shield**

**abilities locked equip bonus: fire increase (small)**

**Status enhancement: none selected**

Well... maybe if he struck his dagger on the shield...

Scratch that. An experimental flicking of the shield's surface with his finger showed it scattered sparks with any impact.

That accounted for all the items he dared risk absorbing. The rest he slung over his back. As for the shield itself, he found he could roll the Sleeping Roll Shield up and relocate it to anywhere on his body. Just so long as it remained attached, he supposed. If he positioned it above the rucksack, it hardly looked out of place. Like that, he could obscure to anyone unfamiliar with his description that he was the Shield Hero. As for the rest... Maybe a haircut? He did have a usable knife. If he was going to regularly sleep outside, then short hair would be easier to maintain.

Next he picked the egg up, then paused to squint at it. Was that a crack? Hiding the egg without being able to tuck it inventory was already a tall order. You definitely couldn't hide a filolial chick. If he did respawn, would the bird even come with him? Emerald Online had an option in your menu to summon your mount, but he couldn't find it. Maybe it would appear once the egg fully hatched.

A second crack erupted down the egg's side.

Well, fine. If it wanted to hatch now, that meant he could train it faster.

He sat and watched as a ball of feathers poked its way out of the shell, then opened the incubator to hold it up and inspect.

It was covered in delicate, snow white feathers with one long plum that drifted towards its back and blue eyes. Pure white filolials had been popular among players. Just what kind of birds was the rancher breeding that this was one was had parted with at a discount? It had to have good stat growth, and it already had higher attack than him. As a pet, it automatically registered as a party member too. Forget about racing credentials or outrunning soldiers. With this, he had a means of fighting monsters again. There were no balloons nearby, but he'd seen eggugs and usapils that he could pin down with ease. Between his leveled defense and the filolial's starter attack, they could defeat those. Then _both_ of them could level up.

He could even practice skinning the usapils for fur to sell and meat for the road. Best teach himself that one while he still had spare food, in case he screwed up. Eggug's shells didn't hold much value, but usapil pelts were definitely a sellable item. They were only worth a bronze coin each, but he would take what he could get. Outside of Melromarc, he might even make a whole coin per pelt.

His gaze drifted down to the shards of the filolial's egg. Of course trash didn't just vanish like if you were playing a video game that didn't have the processing power to keep track of every little item, but could you sell random egg shards? Some apothecary might at least want them. He already held onto his balloon scraps anyway, and there was no obvious inventory space limitation. Worst case scenario, he just threw the shards out somewhere else rather than leaving them in the rancher's training grounds.

He dropped the shards into his shield, and blinked at the notification that came up.

**Monster User Shield**

**abilities locked equip bonus: monster maturation adjustment (small)**

**Status enhancement: none selected**

How the _fuck..._

Sleeping rolls were an item you could use in game, even if they weren't that useful for people with regular access to healing spells and quality potions. Accepting the premise that any monster or in-game item could give him a shield, he was willing to roll with. But the remains of an egg you hatched were _not_ an in-game item. They were just the additional details that manifested when you entered the game world and applied real world logic to whatever elements the game rules didn't dictate. If literal trash that the game didn't acknowledge would logically exist could unlock a shield, then what were the limitations of what all the shield could absorb? It hadn't given him a shield when he absorbed the tattered pack previously, so there wasn't a shield for _everything_, but the number of shields he could unlock... it was greater than he expected.

Also, maturation adjustment? Like tweaking the filolial's stats? Wasn't that broken? If the gods were a dev team, then someone ought to be fired for adding a feature like that.

Scrap that. The whole company needed to be shut down for the story campaign they railroaded him onto.

He was caught up in marveling over the shield and attempting to wrap his mind around all the implications-the possible other shields he might unlock if _anything_ was fair game and the number of features that might exist in this world that you very definitely couldn't use in Emerald Online.

All of that meant...

Nope. Couldn't do it. Too much to wrap his mind around.

He _so _needed a drink.

Maturation adjustment though. He looked back down at the filolial chick in his hands, chirping to be fed.

"I only have uncooked beans for you, and I that guy said I'll get him in trouble if I stay here, so you have..."

Telling it to go hungry for the time being physically hurt him.

"Okay. You can have a teeny bit of meat, and then I'll find a spot to cook these beans."

All it took to make a fire was to gather up wood and shower some sparks on it, right? He could do that easy.

"But first, you need a name..."

As he fed her a few precious scraps of his meat, he contemplated her existence. Filolials were decent pets, but they weren't as impressive as dragons. They had lower attack too. Not that he was in a position to judge anyone else's offensive power. And while this one could attack for him, it was a _newborn_. Getting it to follow instructions properly might be a pain. Really, it would have been better if he could purchase a trained adult. He spent more than half the money he had on the ball of feathers in his lap, and he wasn't sure it would even start out smart enough to be viable for training.

"Birdbrain," he decided. The name appeared beneath his own on his party list.

It was just a chick, but it acted as though it could speak Japanese just find and turned its head away as if affronted.

"Well then, let's make you a proper meal and get to work."

-o-

It turned out that wood was not _quite_ as flammable as Motoyasu first assumed. However, after slamming his Flint Shield on the ground in frustration at his the pile of sticks he gathered wouldn't burn and then frantically putting out the dried leaves he set ablaze, he figured that if he put those _beneath_ the sticks, he could use the fire they created to get the wood to burn. He was still doing something wrong, because the wood popped and cracked more than any campfire he'd ever seen back home, but he could fill his pan with river water, brace it over the fire using rocks, and cook beans to a near-paste slop for Birdbrain.

He overestimated the size of its stomach, and carried the remaining slop with him in the pan as he searched for a suitably weak monster for them to train against. Birdbrain refused to respond to his instructions to follow, and there was an option to penalize monsters if they ignored orders, but it was so small that Motoyasu could easily lift and carry it.

In Emerald Online, monster encounters happened anywhere outside of towns, but he'd noticed they seemed less common near roads in the world of the game. Perhaps when they weren't hunting him, those soldiers kept the roads clear for civilians. They had to have served _some_ purpose before they dedicated themselves to trying to keep him from his freedom while slaughtering anyone good to him.

He carried Birdbrain as far from the road as he dared, not wanting to lose track of it. Not that he walked right along it in the first place, since he needed to take cover fast if he spotted soldiers. Once in monster territory, he barely had to look around at all before he found eggugs. Even _eggs_ were too much for him to kill with his pitiful attack stat, but low levels were where shielders could still contribute, and the eggugs bites only tickled as he snatched one up and carried it far enough away that he didn't have to worry about others.

"You're my only hope of taking monsters down, and were not going to escape anyone if soldiers find its before you're full grown, so I know you were only born an hour ago, but I'm counting on you here. Let's try and take at least a few down before lunch."

Birdbrain contemplated this, then chirped with a satisfied expression and flapped its wings.

"Crap. How was it that filolials attacked? Um... You pecked your way through one egg shell today. Now do it again?"

Birdbrain cocked its head at the instructions, then looked over its shoulder as if unsure that it wanted to help him. After a second, it nonetheless dutifully waddled over to the eggug and set about pecking at it. Motoyasu held the eggug by the mouth, four fingers jammed into its jaw while his thumb pressed on its back to hold it in place. It couldn't bite anyone else if it wanted to. Birdbrain couldn't have been safer as it broke the thing apart in four decisive pecks.

"Alright! We..." Motoyasu paused, gave his hand a good shake to rid it of egg yolk, and then pumped his fists. "We can take one down in under an hour! Good work, team! _You_ are officially the best party member I've had in this world."

He should have made a party of monsters from the start. Their seals made then obedient, so they never offered you half a bottle of wine and then told everyone while you were too hungover to defend yourself that you tried to rape them. (He quickly banished the mental image of him in bed with a bird from his mind.) Since he was given extra funds at the start, he should have spent all that money on eggs and gone off camping with them. They couldn't frame him for a crime when he wasn't even in the city!

He frittered the morning away with Birdbrain, holding up eggugs for her and rewarding every slain monster with a scoop of bean slop. It was past noon when Motoyasu's stomach rumbled, and he remembered that the original plan for the day had been to travel to the next town. He could tell everyone there about his situation and maybe even ask if anyone knew about soldiers coming over the boarder and searching for him. He hadn't seen any since leaving the forest behind, and it would be nice to let his guard down with confidence. With nine silver coins left, he could even purchase preserved foods and more gear to help himself subsist on whatever he and Birdbrain took down.

For the first time since Mei's corpse was dragged past him, Motoyasu thought that he might actually make it. A shield-favoring country with the political sway to resist Melromarc was out there, and little by little things were stacking up such that he might reach it. He'd even gone up a level for the first time since Melromarc ripped the red carpet out from under him!

It was only one level, sure. Birdbrain had managed to go up five. But he finally hit the double digits.

...Just like Itsuki had by the end of their first day.

"Alright. Play time's over."

He scooped Birdbrain up in his arms, taking note of how much larger it already was. Steeds in Emerald Online would grow up on their own if you left them be for long enough, or they could go from their infant models to adolescent and then ridable adults in a day if you power-leveled them. Dragons took until level fifty or two whole weeks real-time, but he didn't know the growth rates for filolials. In any case, it was good to see the aging-with-levels mechanic wasn't one of those game-only details added in to make play more enjoyable. Birdbrain had gone from fitting in a single cupped hand to nesting in both arms. At this rate, if he took time each day to level the two of them, it might be ridable by the end of the week. In fact, he could only carry it for short stretches before letting it walk alongside him.

For a filolial bred for racing, it didn't seem particularly fast...

Well, it was still a baby. It was larger than an in-game baby looked, sure, but it didn't resemble the adolescent sprite yet. If it was content to walk next to him rather than race to and fro, the Motoyasu could sort through his shields as he walked and not worry too much about losing track of his bird. He'd collected a few monster soul items that he could use in shield smelting. Nothing valuable, but the stats on the shields he got from scrub-tier monsters weren't that great either, and it wasn't like there was a slot limit to upgrades, although he wanted to match the right boosts to shields that would benefit most from them. He saved the shields he weapon copied and especially those he wasn't a high enough level to equip for later and started experimenting with what improvements he could make by powering up is balloon shields.

His stomach rumbled again as they walked, tempting him to take out the rest of his meat and eat it. Would it really be so bad if he did? He was outside of Melromarc, and he had money and things to sell. Those first few days made him anxious about running out of food, but how different was it to starve now versus later?

Louder rumbling made him flinch, and he looked down at Birdbrain. The bird stared back up at him with sad eyes, and he sighed and dropped his rucksack to try and cook more beans.

Before setting up a new fire, he pulled out a strip of meat, which he chewed on as he led Birdbrain away from the road so that they couldn't be chanced upon by soldiers. He'd only gathered up a fistful of twigs when Birdbrain took off after a mush.

"Wait!"

He tossed the sticks aside and ran after her, cursing at the revelation that a seven hour old chicken was, in fact, much faster than him when properly motivated. He barely made it in time to intercept a blow from a mush that Birdbrain didn't take down fast enough.

"You have to stick with me!" he scolded as Birdbrain hopped out from behind his shield to kick and scratch the monster before ducking back behind him to escape an attack. "I can't let you get hurt!"

He couldn't afford to replace her, and without her to deal damage for him, any tentative hopes that he'd be able to make do were gone. Nevermind collecting materials to sell and buy food. He couldn't even fend for himself in the wild if he couldn't hunt monsters for their meat.

Birdbrain chirped and lowered its head like a scolded dog, but lifted it seconds later to peck at the mush. That blow did the monster in, but Birdbrain wasn't done. The second Motoyasu lowered his hand and stepped back, it lunged forward with its beak again and tore a chunk of mushroom flesh away to chew on.

How rude! And when Motoyasu had already started gathering up wood to cook more beans with!

Whatever. He wouldn't want to eat bean slop either.

"So you're already big enough to eat other types of food? Well, so long as you're fine, I guess. The faster you're big enough to ride, the better."

The effort involved in gathering up wood was minor, he reminded himself. The funds he stood to save by feeding other monsters to Birdbrain would be a huge burden he no longer needed to shoulder.

That being said, the sheer amount Birdbrain ate was staggering. Motoyasu nibbled on his own meat until it ran out while Birdbrain devoured entire monsters a half a dozen times in a single afternoon. Hopefully that stopped once it finished growing, because having to feed it on a day when they couldn't hunt looked frightening.

At least it learned fast. With no further training, Birdbrain dutifully followed orders. It didn't take off after tasty monsters anymore, but instead nudged Motoyasu towards them and waited for him to get into position. He was beginning to regret the name he picked for it in his frustration with his situation.

Well, no matter. It was just a pet anyway. If he reached a point where he could manage two monsters. he'd give the second a better name.

-o-

By evening Birdbrain at last seemed satiated while Motoyasu looked forward to dinner. If there was a business in town for selling monster parts, he decided, he would spend some of the money on a hot meal. Then he could spend the rest on rations and hunting gear. If his coin went far enough, he could even buy extra to test whether or not putting food in his inventory risked unlocking new shields.

It was at the same time just a day before that he'd thought he had nothing left after telling the rancher his plight. Now he had his sights again set on Siltvelt. Birdbrain had been a good purchase after all. Thirty silver no longer felr like such a loss.

"You're invaluable, you know that? Between the two of us, we might actually make it all the way to safety."

He gave Birdbrain's head a pat, and it chirped and nuzzled his thigh in return.

He'd been lucky not to see soldiers since leaving the forest, but this was a town, and the rancher warned that Melromarc held sway even outside its immediate border. Motoyasu pulled up the hood of his cloak as they drew close.

Two soldiers with no crest stood outside an inn, discussing troubles with their wives. Motoyasu dipped his head as he walked close and kept a hand on Birdbrain. If they were attacked...

The filolial had gained another level on the way to town, but that probably wouldn't cut it against seasoned fighters. He just had to hope no one separated them.

A tavern caught his eye, and he headed for it. They could tell him where to sell his materials, and if he confirmed that he _could_ sell, then he'd already be in the right place to also buy food and spread word of Melromarc to a chatty source.

He stepped up to the door and paused, hand halfway to the doorknob, as he heard the words 'Shield Demon' in the distance.

Pulling his hood a little lower, he steered Birdbrain towards the sound.

At the heart of the town, a crowd gathered around three men in robes. Each clutched a rosary with a crest bearing a sword, spear, and bow as they spoke to the crowd.

"It's no mere inkling of faith! The Shield Demon has proven himself worthy of the title! He wasn't in our kingdom for but a single day before he attempted to rape our beloved first princess!"

Princess? Her? Weren't princesses supposed to be _good?_ Motoyasu was trying his best to hold onto his image of women, but this lady was really testing him.

"Even after our queen tried to urge him from our nation to keep her daughter safe, he directed his followers to kill our soldiers who had been ordered to ensure their safe passage."

Bullshit. Where did they get off thinking they could lie about Rella and Mei and Baowen's sacrifice like that?

If there was any lingering doubt of his conduct while drunk, that eradicated it. They'd really make up anything, wouldn't they. Those people... Just how much did they hate him for being assigned the shield?

"Given the recent lynching of the Bow Hero's party member, it's clear that the Shield Demon won't tolerate any demi-humans who support a more upstanding hero!"

The recent _what?_

Anyone who allied with scum like Itsuki was scum themselves, but he wouldn't _assassinate_ them! At worst, he wanted Itsuki and the princess scraping by so they could appreciate how badly they screwed him over. And what did he care if someone's allies were demi-human or not?

Motoyasu pulled Birdbrain closer to himself, watching with wide eyes and a feeling of nausea as those listening to the speakers began to whisper among themselves.

"Targeting the other heroes allies?"

"I guess this is why they normally summon the heroes separately."

"I heard the princess had volunteered as his own party member as a sign of good faith too..."

"But you know, that princess is..."

"Do you suppose he's agreed to work as an agent for Siltvelt within Melromarc?"

"Well, it serves them right that they got such a rotten hero after hoarding all four."

"Hey, isn't our king close to Melromarc's royal family? You don't suppose we'll get attacked by Siltvelt too if he gets too out of hand?"

Motoyasu pulled Birdbrain back, taking a path out of the village that wouldn't lead him past the soldiers he saw before. He let her from the village and over a hill so that he was out of sight, ignoring her curious trills and the rumble of his stomach and the pounding in his ears so powerful that even the shield throbbed in sync.

What had he ever gotten his hopes up for? Melromarc had been ahead of him from the start. Here he was wandering through parts of the map not explorable in game while his tormentors knew all the fast routes to travel in order to spread lie on top of lie. It didn't matter how far he went. Even if his stupid bird could eat whatever monsters they killed, _he_ wasn't prepared to survive in the wild, and he didn't have enough to travel across a half a dozen kingdoms to reach Siltvelt.

Would Siltvelt even take him if rumor had it he killed demi-humans?

He slumped over on the ground and opened up his menu, searching for the log out option. It wasn't where it was supposed to be, but the inventory menu had been somewhere strange, so that didn't mean it wasn't there.

The sun was down by the time he acknowledged to himself there was no way to escape.

No. That wasn't true. He had three theories about what happened if he died, didn't he? There was one way that sent him back to Melromarc, and that didn't matter, because none of it mattered if he was equally screwed outside their borders. And there were two outcomes in which he no longer had to endure. Even if he didn't make it back home, surely the alternative was better than continuing on as things were.

Surely...

He couldn't change things anyway. He couldn't save himself. He couldn't even expose Melromarc. He needed to embrace that.

Even when he'd mistaken his fortunes for turning after Naofumi reached out to him, he hadn't had the power to fix the situation himself. Who was he kidding, thinking a shielder could manage without being propped up by others?

Getting his hopes up again did nothing but make it hurt more.

There was no point in trying.

If he just lay there and let whatever became of him come, since it was going to happen even if he powered on, lying down and letting the world dish out whatever it would was easier.

He shut his eyes to go to sleep, ignoring the message that persisted in his vision and burned through his eyelids.

**Curse Series: Shield of Acedia**

**abilities locked status ailment infliction: dispassion block**

**Special Effect: Self Curse, Anhedonia**

**Status enhancement: none selected**

-x-

**STA:**_ Motoyasu, holding a piece of flint in one hand as he digs through his supplies with the other:_ stingy bastard didn't give me a way to light fires.

Anyway, in case anyway wondered, Birdbrain is Yuki. Naofumi isn't around to give her a less awful but still ultra-generic name, so she's not going to be called Yuki in this fic, but Motoyasu bought Yuki's egg. (I _think_ that, technically, there's a timeline where Motoyasu names Yuki something completely different when Naofumi isn't around, but I'm handwaving that one as a difference between regular Motoyasu on a bad day and Crazyasu.) I came thiiiis close to giving him Sakura instead. I even tweaked chapter 7 after posting it to change a line where they specifically say Motoyasu bought a cheap egg. And I had all these plans for how she would develop differently based on the fact that her and Freon are the only birbs I know development variations of and particular triggers for said variations. I was super pumped for nee-san Sakura. but alas, I got could feet about 61 minutes after the last minute.

Sakura is best birb, and I had a lot of fun scenes planned for her, but Yuki is best birb for deMotovated shield hero. Besides, with this whole Acedia deal, a chill birb isn't ideal.

* * *

**Echonic:** Nonsense. He barely even mentions her in the spin-off.

**Slade01 / Microphallus:** Thank you for the heads up. I accidentally replaced chapter 6 with chapter 7 while tweaking a line.

**fractalman:** In your defense, acedia and sloth are close enough that the former got rolled into the latter when the church codified the seven deadly sins.

**pinkdog16:** Why nuggets though?

**Victor John Foxfire:** Dude, chill. Motoyasu absorbed the balloon scraps a few chapters back now. And he got a helping hand from Naofumi within days plus had travel companions taking care of him for a while after. he's had _significantly _more help by this point than Naofumi did at the same point in time. Also, why would he use _SAO_ as a basis for how to look at the world? He's not from the Japan with VR, and there's no indication that Ren's VR works anything like SAO's. In terms of "this wasn't a feature in the game" hunger is pretty secondary to the fact that he can fight by physically lifting a shield rather than clicking a mouse.

**Zennishi:** Come to think of it, I do know of two different canon trap filolials... But I don't know one's personality all that well, and keeping with canon compliance means he's already missed his chance to buy the other.


	9. The Ruins of the Wave

"So while I thank you for your support, I would like to proceed on my own from here."

Naofumi bowed and hoped that nothing he said sounded too suspect. He had spent several days carefully working out the right rational to offer his former party and the king for why he no longer wanted to work with the people who had been picked out for him. He didn't know what might become of him if he acted defiant or suspicious.

What happened to the Shield Hero was only a small part of the overall consideration that went into this declaration, particularly after Itsuki let slip Myne's status as the king's daughter. Even if Melromarc's faith caused them to favor the three remaining heroes, that the crown would conspire to frame one of the four Holy Heroes and then stand by while its people ensured Motoyasu starved was above and beyond mere bias. It was suicidal malice. For the world to offer up four heroes when you only needed three was bizarre to the point of absurd, and Naofumi shuddered to imagine a scenario where Motoyasu was allowed to die only for it to become apparent after that he was essential. If Melromarc was willing to jeopardize the world's safety like that, what other questionable calls might they make? The more he looked into it, the more uncomfortable he was with the country's leadership and religion. Questionable acts of 'charity' by the church and attempts to butter him up, and abhorrent policies like slavery painted the picture of a place that barely seemed worth backing.

Naofumi hadn't made up his mind about whether to stay or leave. Several emissaries from other nations had come and asked him to accompany them, and he'd asked each to give him time to respond. He assumed because it was the standard trope that Melromarc was good when they summoned him, but it was severely flawed. Melromarc was a country he happened to be summoned to, but anywhere else he went was a place he would actively chose to travel to. If he picked a country that turned out to be worse, it might be harder to untangle himself from their corruption.

So he wasn't about to flee, but he was also paranoid about the possibility that there were plants in his party tasked with manipulating him the same way the princess pretended she wanted to generously support the Shield Hero with the intent of slandering him.

The countermeasures were half-baked, but he couldn't lie around and let things carry on without taking precautions.

"You have no other party members in mind?"

"I like to believe I'll find people on my journey."

That was how it went in isekai, right? You stumbled upon a new cute girl with each adventure. That adorable girl who he had helped connect with Motoyasu was proof that one of them was already walking down that path.

"I see... Very well. I can't force you to work with a team that you don't feel suits you. Please be careful not to take on anything beyond your abilities while you lack party members to support you. I take it you'll still work through the guild? Please keep and eye out for anyone who you feel is a better fit."

Just like that? He'd expected push back. Had his party not been co-conspirators after all?

No. He had to play it safe. The king might plant people at the guild to try and appeal to him as new allies.

"May I ask where you plan to go from here? If you accepted a job from the guild, I can advise you on the risk."

"Well..." It was probably safe to discuss. It was the whole reason he was summoned, after all. "I thought I might look at the village where the last wave occurred. Get a sense for what I'm fighting to prevent, y'know? Should I be safe if I also train along the way?"

"With your current level I see no common roads are built in safer territories for reason. The monster activity in that area has increased since the wave, but it's nothing one of the Holy Heroes should struggle with."

"That's a relief."

Both for himself and the hero who couldn't attack. Traveling on main roads, Motoyasu would have an easy trip to Siltvelt. He'd earned that much.

-o-

The remains of Lurolona were sobering.

No part of the village looked like it had ever been grand. A small fishing town too minor to warrant a standing guard against the sort of onslaught that befell it. Naofumi could imagine what it looked like. Civilians, most likely low levels due to the peaceful lives they led, running from monsters that smashed through their humble homes, knowing reinforcements wouldn't make it in time. He could picture parents desperately protecting their children and trying to get somewhere safe. He just couldn't begin to imagine what it must have felt like. Such an overwhelming, incomprehensible loss was what he had to make sure didn't happen again. As Spear Hero, that was his duty.

Wildflowers lay at the remains of doorsteps, all freshly picked, the number varying from one house to the next as if marking how many people lived there. He counted them, wanting to burn the number of casualties into his mind so that he could have a better grasp of what failure meant. The houses were laid out in no particular order, and there was rubble everywhere. Naofumi kept a close eye on his feet so as not to trip over anything white counting, and walked right into something soft and plump.

"Oh my. That's quite the hello."

Scrambling rapidly away from the two soft cushions that had buffered his initial impact, Naofumi tripped on a piece of rubble. A week of carrying a spear at all times had not fully trained him to be mindful of its placement, and as he flailed his arms to try and regain his balance, the tip of his spear hooked itself on the top the gorgeous woman before him wore. She fell with him, landing such that his face was again cushioned from the impact atop him.

The pain in the back of his head aside, _this_ was the kind of scenario you recruited party members from!

It was also highly disrespectful, and the first thing Naofumi did upon extracting himself from beneath the woman he'd dragged down with him was bow so deeply his nose pressed against the dirt.

"I'm truly sorry! I wasn't paying attention!"

"You weren't, were you? How naughty."

Her words were playful, but her gaze had already drifted from Naofumi to the ruins, and her half-hearted smile never came close to her eyes.

What a sad face. She was such a lovely woman, with long, dark hair and black streaks down her arms, and the way she dressed to show her figure and teased him spoke of a playful nature. Naofumi could tell this wasn't her normal demeanor. She was more sobered by the ruins than he.

"Er... Did you lose someone here?"

"You could say I lost everyone."

"Oh... I..."

A survivor of the village. Naofumi suddenly felt ashamed of the spear. Not for the situation it created moments before, but for the fact that he'd done nothing with it. How could he claim the title of hero in front of someone he'd come too late to help?

"What were they like? Everyone who lived here, I mean."

"Strong-willed. Courageous. Kind. Some day, if you come back, I could introduce you." Seeing his confusion, the woman smiled more sincerely and said, "I'm told that there were other survivors, but it seems a slaver swept them up in the aftermath of the chaos. I came here to promise these late parents that I would bring their children back."

Child slaves!? Had he really been summoned to a country that would do something so repugnant?

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Naofumi asked. "I'm new to all of this, and I won't pretend I understand the nuances of how this world works, but I've come to realize it isn't as nice a place as I first thought. Although I wasn't able to prevent any of this from happening, as the Spear Hero, I feel like I owe it to the people of this village to help reverse as much damage from the wave as I can. I-I mean, I still have to be able to prepare for other waves and prevent something else like this, but it wouldn't do for me to dismiss what happened here as before my time and beneath my notice."

"Spear, you say?" The woman's gaze locked on the spear in his hand. "How interesting... The Spear Hero instead? Hm..."

Naofumi's cheeks heated as he recalled what he heard that emissary tell Motoyasu. It was the Shield Hero who was supposed to champion the demi-humans. How foolish he had to look, declaring himself a savior for Motoyasu's people. The other three would have surely known better... Yet could it really be wrong to say he wanted to help people?

"Woe be unto me to turn down a helping hand when their are children in trouble. I'm glad that the hero Melromarc was granted the honor to summon is sympathetic to the plight of our little village. I was barely gone a week and came back to this, and if you were summoned after it transpired, I can only imagine how new you are. There must be so much you'd like to know. I would happily help such a precious little hero who wants to help little old me learn his way around this world, but this is such a depressing setting. There's another town nearby that wasn't hit nearly as hard with a nice bar. Let's talk over drinks. My treat."

Drinks? Was she... No. As she said, this was a depressing setting. It wasn't an invite to anything beyond a change of scenery while they discussed how to save children.

"Sure thing, although you don't need to waste money on me. I won't get drunk no matter what, so there's no real point to me drinking."

"Really now? I look forward to seeing that. May I ask my hero for his name?"

"Naofumi Iwatani. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Sadeena. The pleasure is all mine, Naofumi-chan."

-o-

Each time Naofumi learned more about Melromarc, he liked it less. But Sadeena, as a member of a race the crown despised, and as a resident of the wave-ruined town who had been out at sea when the attack went down, was someone who he trusted to give him a fair take not only on her own country, but on the countries she chose not to live in. The problems of Faubrey and Zeltobe and even Siltvelt-which made Naofumi slightly nervous for Motoyasu.

(But surely Motoyasu would be _okay_. Maybe they were anti-human zealots, but their love of the Shield surpassed their hate for humans, and he seemed like a nice enough guy once you knew the princess lied about him. He was no doubt down to earth enough to not be fooled or taken advantage of easily, and he would know to be careful with how much he drank in the future after what happened with his so-called ally.)

However, repulsed as he was with Melromarc, he could no longer leave. There was corruption in every country, the same as in his own world. And as a hero, he couldn't turn a blind eye on the children who he promised to help find and rescue, even if that meant fighting in waves alongside the very soldiers who enslaved those children they were meant to protect.

It was with that in mind that Naofumi decided to say something to Ren and Itsuki when he saw them at the Adventurer Guild's job board the next afternoon.

They weren't exactly together. It was more chance than anything that they stood in one another's general vicinity. They must have just returned from some quest, or were planning to take something with high pay. While Naofumi had prioritized leveling with his original party, now that he had Sadeena and a mission, he'd shown up looking for something that would enable him to buy as many Lurolona slaves as he could.

Itsuki's party hadn't undergone the radical overhaul Naofumi's did, but two former members were gone, and one man in gaudy armor who had initially chosen Ren now stood by him. Ren, with the exception of losing that member, had the exact same party as before.

In other words, all people who the king introduced them to, including the co-conspirator princess.

Ren's allies all hovered near him without interacting, and he had less of a stake in anything to do with Princess Malty. So long as she was near, it was best he be careful what he said. While it was Itsuki who noticed Naofumi and raised a hand in greeting, Naofumi only raised his own hand and smiled back before stepping close to Ren and whispering, "I need to talk to you about Motoyasu."

"Whatever trouble that guy is up to, it doesn't interest me."

"Even if you're in trouble?"

Ren kept an even expression, but sounded less confident when he said, "I can deal with it." After a pause, he said firmly, "What could a shielder do to threaten anyone anyway?"

"Not from him. From this country."

"Nonsense."

"During the trial, when she thought none of us were watching, I saw the princess taunting Motoyasu. It seemed possible she might have merely expressed how she felt about his actions that way, even if it looked malicious and juvenile, so I didn't say anything, but between that and the way Motoyasu claimed Itsuki robbed him, I wasn't certain that the trial reached the right conclusion. When I ran into Motoyasu the other day, his indignation over the situation felt so real. I'm almost certain he was innocent."

"He was drunk," Ren pointed out. "He couldn't even recall what happened for himself. He admitted that from the outset."

"You can still know what kind of man you are. Besides, there's more..."

Ren listened silently to Naofumi's account of the desperate state he found Motoyasu in, what the demi-human emissary told them about Melromarc and its prejudice, and what he'd learned since. After Naofumi finished, he still had nothing to say, staring blankly ahead as he processed the series of revelations.

Before he could share his ultimate thoughts on it all, someone else chimed in.

"What are you two taking about?"

Naofumi hadn't seen Itsuki approach. The princess practically hung off his arm. How much had she heard?

Ren cast Naofumi a knowing look and skipped right over the first subject of discussion. "Slavery."

"_Huh?_ It can't be... I do recall several NPCs mentioning slaves in Dimension Wave, but surely it can't be a common practice here."

"I'm afraid it is," Sadeena said. "You would have a hard time finding someone within the nobility who doesn't own a few."

Itsuki looked to the princess in horror, and she responded by cupping a hand to her cheek and saying, "Oh, Ikki, I'm sorry. I hate that the Master of Staff uses them, but Father is always too busy to fight him over how he needs to hire free servants."

"What a shame," Sadeena said. "Naofumi-chan, we've alerted both heroes to the situation as you wished. Shall we go?"

There was a look of determined urgency in her eyes, closer to impatience than panic. She had seemed so laid back until that moment that Naofumi paused upon seeing it.

Just what kind of rumors were there regarding the princess? Or was it a woman's intuition not to trust her? If Naofumi wanted to disentangle Itsuki from such a dangerous character, he would need more than 'the circumstantial evidence made me believe the drunk over the woman who ran crying to you for help.'

"Are you leaving already?" Itsuki asked. "I don't see the harm in spending a few minutes catching up. We're united against the waves, after all."

Unless the princess pointed the finger at another of them. Recalling how disparagingly even Motoyasu had talked about his shield, Naofumi wondered how Itsuki would feel if a hero who he deemed more useful was implicated in a crime. Would he give them more leeway, or would he think two heroes were enough to handle whatever came their way?

Or maybe the fact that Naofumi was more average looking made the situation different. Naofumi himself was prone to believing a distraught woman over an unfamiliar man, but a petty part of him had also been pleased, if only until he saw that taunting face the princess made, to believe that the unfairly handsome guy was actually an enemy of all women.

Until he knew Ren and Itsuki better, he had to be careful how much ire he attracted.

"We're searching for a particular person who was recently captured by slavers," Naofumi said, choosing to be as vague as possible while still more or less conveying the situation. "Both of us would like to rescue them. While we search for leads, since it's likely we'll need to buy their freedom, we're also gathering funds."

"That's admirable," Itsuki said. "My party is also deeply concerned with justice. I'm glad to see you are an ally for the cause."

"Er... right. About that..."

"I heard the Spear Hero abandoned his entire party yesterday," the princess said. "Father has been worried about how you would fair on your own. To see you now with a demi-human companion... I can understand his concern. Where do the two of you stand with one another?"

Sadeena grabbed his arm in both off hers and declared, "Naofumi-chan and I have yet to determine a victor. We had to cut our drinking contest last night short before either of us showed any signs of weakness. There are more important things to spend our money on at the moment, as he pointed out."

"Huh? Contest? We were competing?"

She filed him so full with beer, he'd half suspected she was trying to pop him like a balloon! Pointing out the need to save money had been a desperate attempt to escape drinking so much that he vomited from being over-full!

"As you can see, he's the only real competition I've had in some time. But if you meant to ask if I'm his slave, that's an idea worth considering. There are more legal protections for property than for free demi-humans in Melromarc after all. For the time being, little old me is a simple party member star-struck by such a generous hero."

She didn't act very star-struck, but she had been perfectly candid with Naofumi from the outset. Aside from which, while she didn't fight with a spear herself, she was a seasoned fighter with plenty of experience fighting spearmen. Her strength and experience was such that Naofumi felt like the world could be saved without ever summoning him. If anything, he was the one in awe of her.

"Now as Itsuki said, we have quite the cause. Naofumi-chan, are you able to read these quests, or shall I select one for you?"

"I'm still learning. Pick whichever looks best where I won't be in over my head, please."

Naofumi deliberately kept his attention focused on Sadeena as she picked out a job of the board, never looking away from her face while she read it off for him and explained how he was _close enough_ to the level for the monsters they were facing that, between the two of them, they could manage. It was a generous way of letting him know what he was in for but reassuring him without blabbing to the other heroes that he was now traveling with a woman almost four times his own level.

He didn't want to make any sort of suspicious face that would give anything away, but he couldn't help but glance at the heroes and their parties one last time as he left the guild. Ren, whose party had moved to the far side of the room, faced the job board but watched Naofumi out of the corner of his eye. Itsuki had gone over to the rest of his party to talk animatedly about the plight of demi-humans and how the right thing to do was for them to show support and perhaps even give the oppressed a role model who could even inspire tolerance in others through their help against the waves. Most of his party was engrossed in his speech, but the princess wasn't looking at him, instead focusing a vicious glare on Sadeena's back.

-x-

**STA:** Surprise! We ignored Motoyasu. Also time jump backwards. This is only a few days after Naofumi last saw Motoyasu, and it would have taken Motoyasu several weeks to reach the border. Mei is still alive at this point.

Technically I think Sadeena was supposed to be in landwhale form when Naofumi found her, given the she prefers it so heavily that Raphtalia didn't even recognize her until she swapped out to it and miscellaneous untranslated WN spoilers, but then I couldn't write a boob gag. And gosh dang it. If I'm writing Purefumi, then I want me a boob gag, Moto's gonna go and grab one on purpose at some point in this fic even if I don't know when, because that's who he is, so someone's gotta do it on accident. If canon!Fumi started off with a "isekai romps are fuuuun!" mentality then I want to feed into that just a little.

* * *

**pinkdog16:** Nope

**Echonic:** I have literally never seen her mentioned once.

**fractalman:** You were super close, my man. And that's my favorite part of the chapter as well.

**Victor John Foxfire:** Dude, I think this story is bad for your blood pressure. You might want to consult your doctor before reading further.


	10. Eye on the Birdie

Motoyasu didn't see the point of getting up when he woke the next morning. The grass was only a little wet, and Birdbrain lying against him made his side warm. That was good enough. He shut his eyes and lay there, and might not have bothered to ever rise had Birdbrain not tried around noon to nudge him up. Motoyasu swatted at it until it shoved its beak under his back and forced him to sit upright. There he sat, staring blandly at it. What did Birdbrain expect from him?

When he didn't move, it huffed and walked away. So that was how it was. Well, if it ran away then that just meant he wouldn't have to deal with it starving on his watch.

Except a minute later Birdbrain ran back, a monster hot on its heals. It ducked behind Motoyasu. With him still sitting on the ground, it really had to duck to make itself small enough, yet it diligently followed his orders from before to let him take attacks.

He watched the monster as it charged and made a half-hearted effort to lift his shield. The blow still clipped part of his arm, but it barely stung. The defense boost from his new shield was sizable compared to any other he'd seen. He didn't mind so much while Birdbrain went about her business, using him like a meat shield and attacking the monster as the opportunity presented.

Motoyasu didn't bother to track how long he sat and let Birdbrain lead monsters to him. At some point, he was nudged forward, and looked down to note that Birdbrain had piled up bits of monster remains in front of him.

What was he supposed to do with those? Most of those monsters he already unlocked the shields for, and he didn't care if he unlocked the others anyway.

Birdbrain kept nudging him, so he picked up the unfamiliar wing of a fellow bird his monster had slaughtered and dropped it into his shield.

The subsequent notification of a new shield looked longer than most. He stared blankly at it without caring to read.

That didn't stop the nudging.

What a pain. Couldn't Birdbrain just run away already?

Birdbrain lifted its head to look towards the village, then grabbed Motoyasu's cloak in its beak and pulled him in the opposite direction.

"I don't care if they find me," Motoyasu told it.

Birdbrain pulled harder.

Whatever. He stood and let Birdbrain drag him away from the village before circling back around, giving civilization a wide berth before returning to and then crossing the stream.

Once safely on the other side, Birdbrain released Motoyasu and resumed its practice of luring monsters to him. Most of what it killed, it ate. But gradually, bits that it left behind accumulated in front of Motoyasu again. Liver and entrails and muscles of monsters who's lives didn't matter in any capacity besides being an oversized bird's meal.

Each time Birdbrain killed a monster and ate, it would trill sadly at Motoyasu and then nudge him or the pile towards one another.

At last, as sunset came. Birdbrain bit into the pile and chewed. Then it watched Motoyasu expectantly.

"Whatever you want from me, I don't care. Go awa-mmf!"

Birdbrain shoved its beak into his mouth and tilted his head up, then regurgitated the chewed up monster bits into Motoyasu's mouth.

He gagged, dry heaved, and then flopped over.

Dying of starvation beat being fed like a baby bird.

He was okay with being hungry, but Birdbrain insisted he eat. Even in his haze of apathy, _that_ meal was something he couldn't accept.

Birdbrain chirped at him and then scooped up another bite, and Motoyasu reluctantly crawled over to the stream to rinse his mouth before he pulled the vegetables the rancher gave him and a bit of stale bread from his rucksack. Birdbrain, with a satisfied chirp, downed the rest of the monster leavings and didn't notice that Motoyasu couldn't be bothered to eat a full meal.

-o-

The following days blurred together. Motoyasu moved where Birdbrain moved him, nibbled on bread when it squawked at him to eat, and let it do its thing leading monsters to him to kill. They weren't moving from the creek, so a patrol would find them sooner or later, and even if they did move, the whole kingdom was afraid to anger Melromarc and would hand him over to save their own skins. So nothing either of them did mattered and there was no point in caring about the outcome.

The bread became moldy, and Birdbrain plucked away the discolored spots when it noticed Motoyasu chew them without regard.

As time past, Birdbrain grew larger. A diet of nothing but monsters was a far cry from the beans the rancher recommend, and it showed in Birdbrain's development. It had gone past the sleek, somewhat ostrich-like look of the regular filolial and grown to be two, no, three times as wide as it ought to be. But it seemed content, and it wasn't his problem what became of it. Once Melromarc dragged him back, Birdbrain could go on eating monsters until it grew so large it exploded.

At the same time, Birdbrain did its best to make him eat. When the stupid thing at last realized that he wasn't interested in raw monster, it started bringing plants. He chewed them to keep Birdbrain off his back, and the ones that he ate more of, Birdbrain would make an effort to bring in greater abundance. Sometimes its offerings included crops, and if those were stolen then oh well.

Come to think of it, he still had most of those beans, didn't he?

The bread was almost out, so if he used those beans, Birdbrain might pester him less about eating. But what difference did it make if he ate those over whatever Birdbrain found for him? They were just backup for if Birdbrain stopped bringing food, and if Birdbrain wasn't there to make him eat, there was no reason to cook those beans anyway.

-o-

It didn't matter how many days passed, so Motoyasu hadn't counted them. He only had the vague sense that it had been a while since he stopped caring when whatever damage brought on by the lack of proper meals and exposure to elements led him to start hallucinating a human voice coming from Birdbrain's mouth.

As he stared up at the taking bird, Motoyasu marveled out how lucid it felt to be delirious.

How annoying.

Birdbrain leaned in, beak working as more human words came out, but Motoyasu ignored it. Humoring insanity beget more insanity. Besides, what was the point of talking too an imagined voice? He'd only woken up, but he shut his eyes and went back to sleep.

-o-

Zero things had gone right for Motoyasu since he came back to his apartment and overheard Ikuyo and Momiji arguing. Even when things looked like they were trending upward, they came crashing back down. He was done getting his hopes up.

So when he woke to the sight of a precocious little girl with long white hair and wings who was completely naked, Motoyasu took brief note of her, then shut his eyes to go back to sleep.

"Motoyasu-sama. We need to go hunting. I can't rely on your defense if you don't get up."

_What?_

Motoyasu opened his eyes and looked up at the girl again. That straight white hair that came down to her hips and the feathers on her wings were the same as that of Birdbrain's. Those eyes were an identical shade of blue as well.

As if she didn't think he could make the connection, the girl took two steps back, and in a puff of smoke changed back into the ball of oversized bird that had harassed him for days.

Filolials did _not_ do that in Emerald Online. Some therianthrope races could shapeshift, sure, but you couldn't get therianthropes out of eggs. Especially not eggs from a filolial ranch sold by a rancher who could confirm that the egg came from a filolial. What world was he even in? Not the world of his no-longer-beloved MMO.

It had seemed bad at the time to realize his lack of consideration for Emerald Online's lore gave him a critical knowledge gap. The idea that there were relevant items and mechanics not in the game had been too much for him to process when he noticed it. But if his dumb bird could turn into an adorable little angel, then he had to face the facts: The world he was in wasn't guaranteed to follow the game at all.

Interesting. Not overly relevant to his goals, or lack thereof, but interesting.

"Motoyasu-sama? Is it still too early? Although I _would_ like to eat, should I look for food that you would prefer instead?"

"I don't care."

"But Motoyasu-sama!" She changed back into her naked angel form. "I can't hunt without you if I'm to depend on you for protection. You can't afford for me to injure myself, so I have to be careful."

"Do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want... V-very well." She cleared her throat, put her hands on her hips, and lifted her chin. "I want to see you smile and praise me like before, and I want to eat something new."

"Then go find new monsters."

"But you don't want to move! I-if I'm to continue training against the monsters in this area then naturally I will, but it's been some time now since my level increased, and I overheard that there are other areas where you can get your level higher."

"It doesn't matter if we train or not."

"It doesn't?" Birdbrain scrunched her brow in confusion. "But even though it seemed safe here, there was somewhere else you wanted us to run too where there would be no knights. Didn't you tell me my purpose was to be big enough to carry you there? I was so excited for you to ride me, but you ignored all of my offers."

Well, it wasn't like they could get anywhere. He was out of bread and unable to buy more food when Melromarc compelled the neighboring countries to turn against him. There was no way they could survive.

Wait...

"Motoyasu-sama... am I... no longer wanted?"

Waitwaitwait!

He'd run out of bread _how_ many days ago? He hadn't couldn't. Did it matter? It didn't... no... Because Birdbrain... Such a nuisance...

Motoyasu brought a hand up to rub his forehead. The sharp pain in his skull eclipsed all other awareness.

"Motoyasu-sama!? Are you well? You've hardly spoken since the time we went to town together.

"When was that?"

"That was... nine... no, ten days ago."

"I ignored you for ten days."

Birdbrain looked like she might burst into tears. "You looked upset when that creepy shield appeared, but up until then, I was happy with how you praised me. Seeing as I'm yours, I did my best to make you happy again. If we're finally able to talk then... then... I'm still good, right? I'm your invaluable party member?"

Ten days. He definitely would be a rotting corpse if he'd been left alone, wouldn't he? Never mind that he hadn't bothered to eat without being forced to. What food he had on hand shouldn't have lasted him that long.

"I should have starved by this point..."

"I couldn't let that happen! I wasn't sure what food to bring you after you rejected mine, so I went back to that village and paid attention to what the people there ate. Did I bring the right food?"

The way she clutched her hands up to her chest and watched for his response with wide eyes was adorable.

Even though he'd given her so little thought, she still looked out for him. He didn't care what happened to him anymore. Caring only made everything hurt worse. Yet here this literal angel cared for his wellbeing even after he dismissed her.

Women were not inherently angels, but he had somehow found himself blessed with the picture of that ideal he once held.

And because he'd allowed himself to succumb to despair, this angel had resorted to theft on his behalf, even after Naofumi showed him compassion to spare him from turning to theft to get by. That bothered Motoyasu, more so than anything had since his new shield appeared.

Since that new shield? Motoyasu sat up to look at his arm, and changed shields before opening his menu to finally look at what exactly the new shield did. Its stats were incredible. The defense boost it gave far exceeded anything else in his weapons tree. With the shield swapped out, he found himself aware of all sorts of sensations that he had been, if not numb too, then mentally blocking out through sheer lack of interest. He seemed to have a bite wound on his arm from... something. He would look into that later.

The Shield of Acedia had no offensive abilities, but it could inflict some sort of status ailment. Dispassions Block. Was he not immune to his own skill? Characters in the game always had to state a skill allowed to use it, so he didn't think he afflicted himself with anything, but if the game rules didn't matter...

Since when was there was another skill listed among his stats? He unlocked multiple skills?

Just how much did he ignore?

"M-Motoyasu-sama? Did I do a good a job?"

Color drained from Motoyasu's face as it all of a sudden mattered that this lovely angel would say something so disparaging about herself.

"B-Birdie. I think we should have you go by Birdie. That's far better for a girl than something like Birdbrain."

Stupidstupidstupidstupid! Why!? Why did he name such a cute girl _that? _Emerald Online out to be taken offline for failing to give him such critical information as the existence of angels!

"Of course." Birdie puffed out her chest. "Honestly, I can't believe you called me something like that in the first place!"

Motoyasu dropped on his hands and knees and dipping down so that his forehead touched the dirt. "Please forgive me."

The term 'Birdbrain' remained emblazoned over Birdie's HP in the corner of Motoyasu's vision, but he ignored it. There was no means by which you could change a name once registered in Emerald Online, but there were no shields for scrub monsters or items that couldn't appear in your inventory, and there were _definitely_ no filolials that turned into cute angel girls!

Itsuki and Ren had surely noticed differences as well, having been granted all the extra resources that they were. This also meant Naofumi's disadvantage wasn't as severe as Motoyasu first assumed, which was great! Motoyasu wasn't so much dead last in the competition to be best hero as he was struggling to find the starting gate. Who cared about competing for third? Naofumi deserved every chance in the world to be best!

Competing for third... There was a thought that hadn't crossed Motoyasu's mind in some time.

It was hard to summon up the energy to re-invest in that one, but he needed _some _sort of goal.

"You know what?" Motoyasu said to Birdie, "We're going to charm all of Siltvelt. And if they don't want us, we'll just keep going until we find a country that does."

He didn't remember much of the game world's lore, nor did he know how much stock he could put in it, but he knew there were churches for a variety of weapon configurations and many nations that favored one race over another or showed no favoritism at all. If Siltvelt believed he assassinated Itsuki's party member, then he and Birdie could go to the next country, and then the next after that, and then the next after that. Eventually they would find one friendly to shielders.

Come to think of it, with Birdie to take down strong monsters, even if they weren't able to get the formal backing of a country like the other three heroes had, there had to be countries where he could still live like a commoner without interference. He recalled that Zeltobe was supposed to care more about strength than standard politics. Eventually, they might be able to settle in there. Assuming they could get to a high enough level to do so.

Would that be enough for him to still participate in waves and save others? Who knew? Who _cared?_ Birdie had inspired him to give a damn about his own circumstances again, but Motoyasu only cared about the fate of the world he was summoned to save insofar as that he and Birdie lived in it. If there was some way to take Birdie back to Japan with him, he would do so in a heartbeat and let whatever happened in his absence happen. It wasn't like the fate of the world hinged on a shielder anyway.

"You think I'm that charming?" Birdie looked torn between squealing with delight and needing to maintain the proud, dignified pose she struck when decrying her name. "Ehehehe. So I'm still Motoyasu-sama's number one..."

Remembering herself, she stood straighter and cleared her throat.

"I mean... Yes, Motoyasu-sama! Does this mean you're ready for us to travel?"

In a puff of smoke, the adorable angel disappeared, and Birdie-the-oversized-bird stood in her place.

That wasn't quite as cute, but the way she beamed down at him from the praise she'd received belay the angelic personality hidden beneath that mass of feathers.

Motoyasu had shut down, and it was thanks to Birdie that he lasted long enough afterward to be shaken from his funk. Bless her precious little heart for taking charge when he couldn't. Motoyasu flashed her his most dazzling smile.

Was this how those other three heroes had it, with parties who actually supported them through thick and thin? Itsuki at least had a partner in crime. And Naofumi... Well, Naofumi was practically an angel himself, despite being a man. Of course he would inspire goodness in his companions as well.

Motoyasu wished there was some way to make contact with Naofumi. For one, it would have been helpful to be able to reach out to him right after the attack at the border. Naofumi knew about the prejudice against the Shield and how Melromarc wrongfully hoarded the heroes, but he didn't know about the full political implications of them keeping all four to themselves or losing their grasp on the heroes. And it would have been a considerable load of Motoyasu's chest to be able to tell someone Melromarc wouldn't dare retaliate against about just how far the country would go to ensure he didn't get away. But now he wanted to make contact to tell Naofumi that he was okay. He had someone he could depend on again, and he was going to spend the rest of his tenure as Shield Hero looking after her to make up for how she did her best to take care of him.

Not that he had any idea how to explain that he accidentally stumbled into a talking bird. But she was seriously perfect! There was no comparison between her and the last so-called angel he'd registered as a party member. That woman couldn't even call him by his name!

Wait...

"Motoyasu-sama, why are you making that face? It makes me nervous when you change expressions so many times while staring at me."

"How did you learn my name?"

"Do I have it wrong? There are pictures of you taped to the walls in the nearby town, and that's the name I heard someone say while reading it."

"Wanted posters?"

"I wouldn't know."

Right. She might have picked up speech from all his rambling to her that first day, and from eavesdropping on others since, but she was only a week and a half old. Things like wanted posters weren't inherent knowledge you could expect from a person.

"I can sort that one out later," he decided aloud.

"Then are you ready to ride me now?"

Even if she looked like a bird, the overeager voice that questioned him was still that of a cute little girl's.

Prior to unlocking the Shield of Acedia, not a day had gone by since puberty hit Motoyasu like a gong where he didn't aim to ride an attractive woman. Climbing onto Birdie's back was not _quite_ what he had in mind. In fact, he wasn't really sure how to feel about the fact that the one soliciting his attention and affection was also an oversized chicken that he'd half-assed his attempt to raise. Next the church would be putting out rumors that he was into animals...

Well, that would definitely be the worst rumor about him to contend with in Melromarc, but in Siltvelt it wouldn't harm his chances with women _too_ severely. Besides, so long as Birdie only asked him something like that in bird-form, it was safe for others to overhear.

There was nothing to worry about. He climbed aboard Birdie and wrapped his arms around her neck, enjoying the softness of her feathers as she took off running. He had a steadier ally than he'd ever have hoped for. So long as she was by his side things would be fine whether he found another nation's backing or not. And this time, for sure, he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her.

-x-

**STA: **Given my penchant for ending chapters with misplaced optimism, I think I just raised a false flag. There's actually no cliffhanger this time.

That aside, I feel like Motoyasu coming down from the initial Acedia experience was… not as great and Naofumi and Raphtalia. He didn't do nearly as much for Yuki, and she didn't give him nearly as passionate a speech. But he already has people who believe he's innocent so there's that. And also canon!Motoyasu is able to break out of using his cursed spear literally just by Filo asking him to put it away. So there's also that.

(Side note, btw. Aneko's blog cites "supressed libido" as the backlash from using the Lust Spear, with the added note that Motoyasu is so horny that the effects are negligable and he can basically use his curse skill for free. So it's highly debatable how much of his… er… personality change around that time is actually due to a curse. His behavior doesn't change much after he dismisses his cursed spear, and it doesn't improve through various curse-curing methods that help the other three. Plus he starts acting erratic even before the spear or any related skills are seen.)

It's maaaybe a little canon-noncompliant of me for Motoyasu to snap out of his game mentality over Yuki's angel form, given that he's aware of Filo and never questions it in the main story, but technically according to the spin-off he was told that somehow the brainwashing shield is what let Filo transform and also I've been giving him more and more reasons to doubt game knowledge, so I'mma say that between the other things he didn't expect and his awareness that he doesn't have a brainwashing shield, he's able to realize in this scenario that Yuki defies game knowledge.


	11. Siltvelt

**STA:** So funny story. When I realized I missed updating yesterday I figured "No biggie. I can be a day late." But apparently I just flat out forgot to update completely last week and am actually eight days late. Sorry.

-x-

The first order of business was his arm.

The bite wound didn't look new, and his whole forearm was red with infection. His attempt to check for any herbs that he sort of remembered were potion ingredients turned up an inventory full or drops that he couldn't recall obtaining. Birdie and he were registered as in the same party, and she'd killed a fair few monsters over the past week and a half. Not once had he bothered to check their drops. Now he grinned as he scrolled through his menu. Some of the monsters had been high enough difficulty to drop _items_ rather than bits that you could harvest from them anyway. Potions appeared more frequently in his menu than when he was stuck fighting balloons, and he had random fabrics, semi-precious stones, and a few lower quality weapons. There were even a few semi-decent monster souls to upgrade his shield with.

Motoyasu removed a potion from his inventory, opened the flask, and clenched the opening between his teeth before also removing a minor antidote thats item description also listed as helping to treat infections. He poured it slowly into each puncture in his arm, clamping down on the potion bottle so hard he wondered if he might break either his teeth or the glass. (Come to think of it, you were supposed to bite on leather, weren't you?) After that, he gave his wounds time to soak up the medicine before tipping his head back to down the potion. The pain dulled, and the wounds began to close, but the redness in his arm persisted. With half the medicine left, he downed it as well before gagging on the bitter taste.

Hopefully that would do the trick. If not, he remembered the ingredients for a few basic potions. The shield could process them for him. Between monster drops and harvesting herbs, he could maintain a steady diet of potions to keep the infection at bay until it was safe to seek treatment.

His muscles ached in protest at moving around after such an extended period of lethargy, but the only serious point of protest was the infected arm. He could only hold tight to Birdie for short stretches before they had to slow down, lest he be tossed off her back. Which was just as well. He could also only tolerate short bursts of running before his stomach threatened to perform a full three-sixty flip. Motoyasu shuddered to imagine what it might feel like riding one of the racers that rancher hadn't wanted to part with.

They didn't cover much ground the first day. They left the town where the church spread their lies behind and reached another by nightfall, and Motoyasu set up camp past a nearby hill where another stream fed into the one they had thus far followed. While he set to work, Birdie borrowed his cloak to go into town and see what the general consensus there was.

In her absence, he started a fire and tried to rig a makeshift spit, but ended up settling for stabbing meat onto a stick and holding it over the flame. Birdie had already eaten plenty of monsters she ran over during the trip, but Motoyasu had skipped breakfast and lunch on account of motion sickness destroying his appetite. He'd asked Birdie to leave the last monster she took down for him, and used the dagger to skin it and try to slice away the muscle. He ended up half-coated in blood for his ill-conceived effort to clean game, but eventually extracted enough meat to roast.

He was naked, attempting to rinse the blood from his clothes, when Birdie returned.

"Motoyasu-sama, this is the picture I saw people looking at as they said your name. You wanted to confirm what it was, correct?"

She held up a drawing for him framed by words he couldn't read, but the gist was easy enough to get. It was the exact format one would expect of a wanted poster. The artist had even drawn him with a devilish smirk befitting the sort of man who would prey on women and order assassinations from the shadows.

They would have to travel farther still before he could enter a town. If only he could spot some landmark he knew, they could even forgo the road to avoid chance encounters.

Having already cleaned the monster blood from his skin, Motoyasu redressed in some of the worn clothes the rancher gave him, then cleaned the dagger and filled the dented pot with water to make himself a makeshift mirror.

He wasn't really happy about it, but he had to try for the angel who cared about him even when he couldn't, so anything that lowered his odds of being recognized...

It would be nice not to deal with so many knots anyway. He hadn't undone his ponytail in over a week, and was afraid of what it would look like. Parts of it might be matted. He could always grow it back out once he was in a more secure situation anyway.

Motoyasu sliced his ponytail off and tossed it into the fire, then wondered if he would have wanted to hold onto that hair tie after all. Also, no one warned him that burnt hair smelled disgusting. But there was no undoing past mistakes. The pot and knife made for crude barber's tools, and while he knew the basics of makeup and hair products, he was hardly a stylist. Still, he did his best to cut his hair to at least look even and flattened his bangs. He looked almost like his high school self by the time he was done.

"Should I adjust my appearance as well?"

"I wouldn't dream of butchering such lovely hair," Motoyasu told her. "No one reacted to you, right?"

"Several people told me my wings were pretty, and demi-humans with wings don't usually look so human."

But they hadn't recognized her as a companion of the MIA Shield Hero. If that rancher told the truth of how badly he wanted not to be associated with any trouble from Melromarc, then no one should even know he _had_ a filolial.

"Next time, I'll give you the silver I have left. We can find meat and plants on the road, but it would be good if we could also buy more beans or grain. Bread or preserved fruit or... anything to supplement whatever we hunt. So long as they don't mind doing business with a filolial..."

Wait. If they talked about how she looked in demi-human terms, didn't that mean they hadn't recognized her as a filolial?

"Do your kind normally turn into beautiful angels?"

"Beautiful?" Birdie swelled with pride before telling him, "None of the other filolials I saw said they could do this."

"Perfect!" If it was rare, then it didn't matter if he was seen riding her or not. She could walk into town in her angel form with none the wiser.

But that meant she couldn't use her angel form while in his presence...

Once he was somewhere safe, he could appreciate her in all her winged glory without fear. If he got himself killed or Melromarc separated the two of them along the way, he couldn't. For the sake of long-term angel appreciation, short-term sacrifices were necessary.

But maybe, when it was dark out, or they were somewhere sufficiently hidden from view, they could make exceptions.

-o-

It was a good thing that Motoyasu recalled which herbs could be used to synthesize antidotes. He went through them so rapidly over the following days that the shield almost couldn't keep up. If it came down to it, it looked like there were basic instructions in his crafting menu for how to make the various potions he burned through by hand,. But by Birdie's account, buying the tools to craft by hand would take the rest of his funds. She still saw wanted posters, and her questioning around towns made it apparent they would need almost a month to reach Siltvelt. He had to be frugal with his spending.

The infection in his arm persisted, although once he was able to boost medicine effectiveness, he could keep it from worsening so long as he regularly wrapped it with a strip of cloth he soaked in one antidote. Another antidote proved essential for any time he attempted to eat something foraged. While Birdie had an innate sense of what was or wasn't safe for her and could sometimes warn him if something might also harm him, there were occasions where he cleaned a kill poorly, or where something contained a toxin that didn't affect filolials but left him retching so violently that he almost couldn't keep an antidote down. He quickly learned to only take small bites of anything new, and to gorge on meat and plants he knew were safe.

Now that he once again cared what happened to him, the nagging fear of hunger impressed on him during his time in Melromarc returned, and he always worried that he and Birdie might pass through an area where nothing they killed would be edible. If Birdie asked him for fruit preserves or bread, he couldn't deny her. You didn't refuse your saviors repayment. But he often passed up on eating any for himself and frequently inspected his supply, always running a mental tally of how long his stock might last if he had to fall back on it.

"Motoyasu-sama, don't you also want something with more flavor?"

"It's fine. If I need it later, I'll enjoy it then,"

For some reason, after a few days, Birdie stopped asking him for bread or fruit or dried meats, but she would still stare at his shield with a sad look in her eyes whenever the subject of food came up.

It turned out that items stored in his shield didn't wilt or rot, so he stashed any herbs he found there for safe keeping and easier processing. In doing so, he often unlocked shields that granted crafting and gathering boosts, and the life-saving one that increased the effectiveness of potions he administered. Sometimes, entire recipes for potions would unlock as part of a passive crafting skill. Nothing ever cured the infection, but it kept him from running a fever. If he got to be good enough as a potion factory, then he might be able to present himself as being of use to a party once he could form one. He'd been told Siltvelt thought the shield most useful, but he had no idea how they came to that conclusion.

So long as Birdie didn't think he was useless, he needed not to care if he was to the rest of the world. He wished he'd asked Rella and Mei and Baowen why they thought the Shield Hero was so valuable while they were still alive, but he never dwelled on that. Thinking about them was impossible without recalling the arrow in Rella's neck and they way those soldiers dragged Mei's corpse past him, and even burying his face in Birdie's soft feathers couldn't chase the awful feeling away. It was easier to pretend he couldn't remember them.

-o-

Three weeks into their journey, Birdie strode into camp with exciting news.

"Motoyasu-sama, There were no posters in this town."

"No church members either?"

She thought about it a minute. "There were people with hoods. But it's raining."

So it was. Motoyasu, having had time to experiment with the skills he unlocked on the trip, had spammed Erst Feather Shield like an umbrella while attempting to build a fire. It wasn't working as well as he hoped. The wood he gathered was wet even if the firepit stayed out of the rain, and no matter how hard he struck the flint shield, he couldn't get any sparks to catch. His infected arm ached from being rattled by the repeated efforts to use the shield, even though he'd kept the shield strapped to his good arm since first adressing the injury.

Birdie had spent three silver coins on their assorted rations over the course of their trip. He had money to ask her to go back to town and buy more food with, and he could always break into those rations as well. Theoretically, this was the sort of day those stores of food were intended for.

"Did you hear how close he are to Siltvelt?"

Going by his game knowledge, they ought to have reached it weeks ago. He miscalculated how the in-game distance translated to real life.

"Maybe a few more days?"

"I see..."

It might be safe then. He wanted to believe the lack of posters meant Siltvelt didn't fall for the church's lies... but it could just as easily be that he'd been at large long enough that there was no longer an active manhunt.

Buying a meal meant going into town. He'd already sent Birdie into town once, and he knew it was a nuisance for her to always be mindful of the cloak she borrowed when she went. She broke the clasp the first time she changed to her bird form while wearing it, was too small to borrow either of his pairs of pants, and couldn't fit a shirt over her wings. Motoyasu helped wrap some of the cloth he got as an item drop around her chest and waist, and it would simply fall off if she changed forms with it around her, but she wouldn't rewrap it herself to protect her modesty if the cloak she had to hold shut with her hands blew open.

At least he had taught her the importance of covering herself. Being a monster at heart, she hadn't cared about nudity initially, but she was still a woman, and women needed to value their dignity. There was no value in something given freely, and Birdie was too precious an existence to have her body devalued.

Well, she didn't _entirely_ get the core concept, but she understood that it elevated his opinion of her if she acted like she cared. So long as she walked the walk, it didn't matter if she talked the talk.

"Alright. If we can't celebrate with a hot meal, we'll at least celebrate with something sweet. We can dip into the jam tonight."

"Yes!"

Birdie sat so close she practically leaned against him while Motoyasu pulled bread, jam, and dried meat from his inventory for the two of them, retrieving an extra serving for Birdie. It wouldn't fill her, but the larger she grew, the more Motoyasu feared she was incapable of eating to the point of feeling full. But her piggy bird form-fat as it looked-had turned out to largely be fluff one night when he fell asleep leaning against her, and her growth seemed localized to that bird form with no chub ever appearing on her angelic body. If she couldn't get fat and tarnish her beauty, then he was happy to let her eat to her hearts content...

To the extent that he could _afford_, at least.

Just a few more days, he reminded himself. If his game knowledge at least offered a general grasp of the world, then Siltvelt was large enough for adventurer's guild outposts. Even if Motoyasu himself had to maintain a low profile thanks to the lies about the demi-human assassination, Birdie might be able to pass herself off as a demi-human and register with the guild. While it pained him to see Birdie only be able to enjoy the dinner for a few short minutes before running out of food, he would spoil as much as any angel deserved once he had the funds to do so. Even if Siltvelt turned out to be hostile and doing so slowed his ability to save up and travel elsewhere, he owed her that much.

While Birdie ate fast, Motoyasu nibbled on his own food to make it feel like there was more than there really was. He listened to Birdie talk about the town she passed through while he chewed, nodding along at the reports of buildings and people who had complimented her looks until she made an off comment.

"There was a man with massive brown wings too, and he had feathers all over his arms. He spent a long time guessing my species, although he never guessed correctly. He said I look like an angel, the same way you like to."

Motoyasu would have liked to see others honor Birdie's cuteness. Sadly, in order to prevent her from being associated with a wanted criminal whenever she went into town, she had to spend most of her time in her bird form while they traveled.

"Sorry to ask you to go around looking like a bird so much, even though you were finally able to achieve your true form."

"True form? Is there something wrong with me looking this way?"

She was certainly cuter in her angel form, but he had to admit that her behavior towards him was no less precious regardless of her appearance.

"No," Motoyasu decided. "I definitely prefer your other form, but you're just fine this way."

"Hng... If I could be better in another form-"

"I'm the one asking you to do this, so don't worry about it. Once we're somewhere we know is safe, you can be at maximum cuteness one-hundred percent of the time."

-o-

A few days later, the came across a wall similar to the one Motoyasu saw at Melromarc's border. The road led up to a guarded gate, while the wall itself stretched several hundred yards. Demi-human guards patrolled it's length.

This was certainly well outside the jurisdiction of the human-supremacists in Melromarc. Given Birdie's information, this had to be the demi-human kingdom that was meant to summon him from the start. But how could he confirm what they thought of the death of Itsuki's party member? For as badly as Motoyasu wanted to believe that being their hero meant the would treat him well, he'd learned the hard way that people in this world could point the finger at him and everyone would turn against him in response. Walking up to the guards himself, if they blamed him, would be a repeat of the disaster in Melromarc. And Birdie... Just considering that her asking made him nauseas with fear. The mental image of Birdie's dead body being dragged before him the same as Mei's had was overwhelming. He had to bury his face in her soft feathers and focus on nothing but her scent and her precious voice asking him if he was okay until his trembling subsided.

He was the Shield Hero, whatever that was worth. He had to act as vanguard. Birdie's job was to deliver blows, not put herself in harm's way. He couldn't endanger his guardian angel like that.

Fortunately, Siltvelt differed from Melromarc in that its border wasn't nearly so heavily guarded. Motoyasu and Birdie veered a mile from the wall and crossed the border without a soldier in sight before doubling back so they could once again follow the road.

From there, it was another three days of travel before they came across the capitol. The city towered over him, a castle at its center and a mishmash of buildings looking to come from both eastern and western cultures lining the streets. He couldn't recall the exact setup of Siltvelt. In Emerald Online, it was only a useful location if you were a shielder, and for one overly long quest to do with saving some human nobility from enslavement, only for it to turn out the humans were former slavers themselves. The main reason anyone traveled there was that the region was so unpopulated by other heavy players that you could practically have a private group session without having to fork out for a private server.

Motoyasu pulled his hood down tighter as he dismounted from Birdie and walked in. He'd cut his hair, and his shield was disguised in it's sleeping roll form and secured so that it looked like another part of the luggage he carried. Hopefully he could fly under the radar.

He hung close to Birdie, giving her a sharp head shake when she reached down to take their cloak in her beak and change to her angel form. Even if they'd been told he was welcome here, Melromarc has made a similar claim before. Whatever Birdie was told, whatever his game lore suggested, whatever people who gave their lives to protect him said, he couldn't shake the fear that this would be a Melromarc 2.0 scenario. They still needed to keep her identity secret.

Breathing in Birdie's scent reminded himself he wasn't alone. Even a long way from Naofumi, he still had an ally.

He reached up to pat her head and earned a delighted coo, but also a sharp jolt of pain. It seemed it was about time to apply a new dressing to his infected arm, and the next antidote he needed to do so was four hours from completion in the shield's synthesis menu.

How much did that medicine cost? Maybe he could buy a batch. Maybe he could buy something stronger that would treat the infection for good.

"Our first objective is to find the adventurer's guild," he told Birdie. "Once you're registered to take jobs there, we'll have the means to do everything else."

Birdie looked around, then asked Motoyasu, "What do all the signs say?"

Pedestrians did doubletakes at the talking, oversized filolial, but lost interest in seconds. Right. He had it from the resident expert on being a filolial that most didn't grow to look like Birdie or learn to talk. But there were a variety of therianthrope races or beast forms that demi-humans could assume. The must have all mistaken her for one of them. Given that most filolials looked like the ones in the game, but then since the game got that wrong...

Bah! How was he supposed to know what was or wasn't normal without the game as a guide rail? Without that, he needed to find someone who'd grown up in the world he found himself ii if he wanted to sort it out.

Well... someone who grew up in that world who was also more than a month old and raised by someone with reliable world knowledge.

He ran through a mental list of objectives as he guided Birdie to an alley behind a building with that adventurer's guild symbol over the door. Get money. Confirm his standing. Find more allies-if he wasn't on a wanted list. He raised his arm to pull off his cloak and added potions to his list.

"Okay, Birdie, let's get you dressed. Do you remember what to do from here?"

"I'm to ask for an adventurer's card and pick a quest with low level monsters."

"Do you know which are low level?"

"If I were to see them in person I'm confident I could gauge my strength against theirs, but if I have to pick from a list without seeing them, then I'll ask someone for advice."

"And no one could resist helping a cutie like you." Motoyasu gave her a playful smack.

"Uwah!" Birdie's hands went down to cover her rear. "A-am I being punished? Did I say something wrong, Motoyasu-sama?"

"W-what? No. I was... That was meant to be... uh... motivating."

Birdie looked up at him wide eyed. "People find that motivating? Is this like how a woman's value is increased when she tries to keep from being seen undressed?"

"Something like... I mean... You didn't like it? Really?"

"Well... If it's my choice... I like it more when you pat my head and bury yourself in the feathers around my neck. It makes me feel more important to you than being hit does."

"...Oh." No one had ever said that to him before. The feathers part for obvious reasons, but also the smacking. "...Okay. Um... Your neck is kind of small at the moment... Just head pats?"

She dipped her head and wrung her hands in anticipation.

"...Got it."

The red on her cheeks when he spanked her had nothing on his face as he stayed behind in the alley. Since when did girls not like that? They always giggled or playfully swatted at him when he did that in the past! Maybe Birdie took a different approach to it because she wasn't human. She didn't differentiate being an angel or being a bird until he told her that he did. Maybe her idea of playful affection was some sort of bird mating dance.

Yeah. That was it. Girls liked it when guys were bold. Birdie was just an exception.

It took longer than Motoyasu expected for Birdie to return, but she came back with a satisfied smile and a rolled up paper.

"Is everything alright?"

"I didn't understand everything the men inside said, but this job is good, right?"

She unfurled a paper with a picture of a nix drawn on. They were only a step above scrub tier. Thanks to having to hunt monsters if they wanted to eat, they were over-leveled for it. He couldn't find any section that obviously labeled the pay, but would have to start somewhere.

How much easier it was with Itsuki's spy telling him what everything said.

Actually...

"You couldn't understand everything?"

"Some of the words they used were ones I've heard a lot in towns we passed through recently, so those were easy to understand, but a lot of it was new."

Motoyasu never had any problem understanding her, but then he always understood everyone thanks to the shield. She could speak to others, and the shield didn't tell him what most monsters said, so she had to speak _some_ human language, but he had no idea which.

Well, she knew enough to get by. They could sort the details out later.

The quest looked like the graphics in Emerald Online for basic monster suppression. What details Birdie hadn't been able to translate, Motoyasu could sort out. The game kept a counter of slain monsters, but the real world lacked something so convenient. Thankfully, Birdie got the part where they had to bring monster parts back to verify they slew as many as they claimed.

With quest acquisition squared away, Motoyasu took back the cloak, and he and a bird-form assuming Birdie headed for the gate they'd been pointed to, stopping when Motoyasu caught sight of a familiar building style. That was, if memory of his single in-game trip to Siltvelt served, the church. And within was potentially something critical.

A respawn point!

Motoyasu had forgotten them after accepting the world wasn't his game, but if he wanted to cover his bases, he still ought to try and register. Reaspawning in Melromarc after making it all the way to Siltvelt would be too much.

He entered the church, offered a nervous smile to a priest from beneath his hood, and took a single step towards the Dragon Hourglass.

"Stop, human! How dare you bring your stench in here!"

Motoyasu flinched, and in seconds Birdie had charged in, her massive body crouched to attack at a moment's notice.

"Are they enemies?"

"J-just priests."

At the sight of Birdie, the priest wavered, then looked to a companion.

"Is that... a therianthrope? I don't recognize her species."

"Filolial are about that size."

"Filolial can't speak. Besides, she barely resembles one. The face, maybe, but her head is too..."

Seeing the priest's gesture, Motoyasu forgot himself.

"Are you calling Birdie fat!? I take it back. They're enemies. They're definitely enemies who don't respect your cuteness at all!"

Well, she wasn't _peak_ cuteness in her current form... but no one disrespected Birdie like that!

"O-our apologies, Miss. The church loves all demi-humans and therianthropes. Is this man yours?"

Of course! That overly long quest!

"Hm? Motoyasu-sa-"

"Slave, yes," Motoyasu said. "My master wanted to inspect the hourglass."

Birdie looked to him in confusion, and a priest mercifully spoke before she could question him and give up the game.

"Humans are forbidden from classing-up."

"I'm level 32," Motoyasu told them. "I couldn't if you let me."

Birdie, bless her little heart, caught on. "Motoyasu-sa... Motoyasu, inspect it for me already. Until we have confirmation about the waves, we can't take this quest."

Waves? He never mentioned to her that Dragon Hourglasses were tied to waves. The whole waves situation was something he all but forgot about. Did she innately know about it?

No. She probably overheard it in some town he couldn't risk entering. And he was wasting his time wondering about it when he could easily ask her later.

With a nervous bow to the priests, Motoyasu placed a hand on the Dragon Hourglass.

A notification popped into his vision confirming the hourglass registration. In the corner of his UI, a timer appeared.

Three hours?

The king told everyone when they were first summoned that waves hit once a month, and one was due in a month. If he'd been tracking the dates properly at all, they weren't due for another wave for a few weeks.

Come to think of it, the king had lied about them being transported to the site of the waves. There ought to have been two already, and Motoyasu hadn't been dragged back to Melromarc to fight for them at all.

The timer couldn't be about the waves then. Were there other things the hourglass tracked? It ticked down rather than up, so it couldn't be a normal clock.

That made since. It was midmorning, so the timer was probably a way of tracking how long it was until noon.

"That's everything." Except the medicine for his arm, but the shield still needed to finish synthesizing a batch, and he could afford something stronger if they finished the quest first. "I'm ready to head out when you are."

He gave the priests another bow as he left, lest he give them more reason to go after him.

Siltvelt was an extremist nation that looked down on humans. Even if he was supposedly their hero, he was also human. Given how Melromarc acted, they were no doubt _certain_ he killed that demi-human in Itsuki's party. The only upside was that he hadn't been recognized despite the guards' scrutiny. He and Birdie would earn funds with the slave lie and her guild registration, and then start looking for a safer place to flee to. There was another country designed for shielders, if memory served. He would need to confirm it existed in this world and held a similar stance, but with a healed arm, acclimation to riding Birdie, and the ability to level and earn money, he could get there much faster than he reached Siltvelt.

In the meantime, needed to find a way to block that timer from his UI. It was going to get distracting to have it tick down in the corner of his vision.

-x-

**STA:** And the careful balancing act of 'how do I maintain Motoyasu's Buffoonery of the Spear Hero-tier idiocy while maintaining his glimpse of Reprise awareness?' continues.

I lost a great bit of dialogue here in swapping out nee-san Sakura for Yuki. There was going to be where, when Motoyasu asked how common shapeshifting was, Sakura was going to misinterpret the question and point out that some birds are male birds. Then when Motoyasu tried to ask from a different angle, he got her tastes in wing-span and mating dances. Which would then come up again during the butt smack.

Actually, it really stuck out to me during that buffoonery bonus chapter that Motoyasu's party shit-talked him for being a handsy perv in a way that even he could clearly understand when they thought he was out of earshot, but their to-his-face reactions were all things that he could interpret as being playful back. I wonder how often he gets a flat out no. It's never made clear how many of the people who leave his party tell him outright that they don't want to work with him with some polite excuse versus how many Myne booted and lied about, but all the reasons he was given were still, like, polite explanations. I think Elena telling him off is the first time he encounters any sort of explicit call out from a girl on how he acts. Even in the spin-off prologue, while the WN version makes him sound like a stupid cheater, the LN version makes it sound like he's super open about how unfaithful he is and girls just let him get away with it all through high school and the first two years of college.

* * *

**hariharan7011:** She... she is naked. She's explicitly described as being naked both when Motoyasu first sees her angel form and when she turns into a bird and then back into an angel again. Based on various details I assumed I could get away with him not being sexual towards Birdie, so it isn't hyper-fixated on, but she is noted to be naked in the previous chapter and its going to be a while before she gets magic clothes.

**FearfulFan1987:** I don't remember if it's mentioned that Ost went to Naofumi because the other three heroes had already failed or because the Spirit Tortoise is specifically associated with the Holy Shield, but given that its associated with the shield and this Motoyasu is growing leary of game knowledge already, there's no guarantee that an Ost in this fic would go to Naofumi first.

**fallinisms:** pre-breakdown Motoyasu is very handsy with the adult women in his party and only makes borderline remarks with younger characters, and while he makes no comments one way or the other on it pre-breakdown, he's very outspokenly opposed to anything incestual post-breakdown and counts filolials he raised as his children (and thus off limits) so I'm taking the liberty of interpreting all that to say that a pre-breakdown Motoyasu might still frame Yuki/Birdie in a lightly sexual way on account of his general views towards women without having any interest in pursuing a romantic or sexual relationship with her. I'm also on the fence about weapons. I like Filo being a claw fighter, but Filo is also capable of growing up to prefer swords, and one of Moto's birbs in canon uses an axe. So I got options.

A 'non-canon' chapter where Motoyasu meets his canon self sounds fun though. I've got myself a collection of Shieldyasu art from Japanese twitter and someone did draw a super-short comic where normal Motoyasu is about to get his ass kicked by both spinn-off Motoyasu and Shieldyasu.

**Guesswho:** Autocorrect has done a number on your comments, so I'm going to guess a bit at what you said here. Yes, the king and princess spoiling Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki at the start really did mess with their approach to their role moving forward, and Motoyasu was spared that here. Motoyasu generally existing in a state of willful delusion also didn't help his case, but he very much did not have that option in this fic.


	12. The Wave

With their seventh nix slain, Motoyasu sliced away its webbed hand and stashed it in his shield. Thankfully each nix had two hands, so after the first right hand he tried to store unlocked a Nix Hand Shield, he was able to collect seven left hands without having to slay an eighth monster. There really ought to be a way to choose if you wanted to unlock a shield or not.

He'd long ago stopped worrying about exposing Birdie to carnage. While he would never subject most women to the sight of a severed hand, lest they faint, he had come to expect the forlorn look Birdie gave the disappearing monster parts. Soon he would be able to give her real food, and then she wouldn't have to look so sadly at every monster she didn't eat.

"We're going to have a feast tonight," he told Birdie. "I'll buy spices and rice and make you something from back home."

His own mouth watered just imagining it.

The quest paid five silver. Playing the game and concerning himself with new armor, that had seemed like laughably small amount, but his main focus now was on living. When it was Naofumi or Birdie, food only cost a few coppers. If he could earn multiple silver a day, he and Birdie might even be able to sleep indoors at long last, have a hot bath, and still have money left over to save. A few more jobs and they could stock up on rations and figure out where else might be safe.

Come to think of it, Siltvelt ought to be a good place to get shields. He would look for stores to weapon-copy from when they returned to collect their payment.

Motoyasu opened his inventory to survey their current food stock, but was blocked by that pesky timer, ten seconds from its countdown.

"Special cooking from Motoyasu-sama… I'll eagerly await it. How does the food in your homeland differ from the food we buy in towns?"

Five seconds.

"It's far superior to anything you've tasted. There's—"

Zero.

The world around Motoyasu distorted, and suddenly he stood in a mountainous range. Above, monsters fell from the sky.

His blood ran cold. He'd seen that before in the animation showing the start of a wave. But it was too soon! Or was this the first… Where were the other heroes? If Itsuki didn't show because he was dead than good riddance, but It worried Motoyasu that he couldn't see any signs of Naofumi.

Motoyasu scanned the field, saw neither heroes nor anyone in need of saving, and sprung onto Birdie's back.

"We're leaving!"

One non-combatant and a single monster against an entire wave? As if!

"Motoyasu-sama?"

"Run!"

"Where?"

"Away!"

Motoyasu cursed when Birdie sprang into motion, accelerating so rapidly that he lost his grip with his infected arm and nearly fell from her back. Why didn't chickens come with seatbelts!?

He pulled himself back into place leaned in against her, securing his position just in time to only be thrown halfway over her head when she abruptly stopped. She had to tilt her head up to shove him back securely onto her.

"Motoyasu-sama, we're back where we started!"

So they were.

Motoyasu gave the stupid shield on his arm a frustrated yank, which only made _both_ arms ache. He couldn't leave the site of the wave, and Birdie was trapped with him on account of being registered as his monster. You could remove party members as you pleased, but de-registering a monster was something you needed to go to special locations for in Emerald Online, and he didn't have time to dig through his menu and see if that differed In real life. Just like with Mei and Rella and Baowen, he'd doomed Birdie by associating himself with her.

Raid events in game were meant to involve large numbers of players. What kind of shitty game balance issues did reality have that it would pit two measly fighters against an entire wave? Really, this was why video games were just _better_ than the real world.

His level was in the low thirties, and he'd unlocked an ample number of passive stat boosts. The two of them would have to make due on their own. Even if none of the other heroes party members showed. Giving up wasn't an option when Birdie was in danger.

"Birdie, you remember the rule?"

"Let you take all damage while I focus on dealing it."

"Right." Motoyasu hopped off her back. "Stay close so I can protect you. Only charge ahead when you're confident you can strike and make it back to my shield before anything his you."

"Got it."

Birdie crouched, fanning her wings wide.

"Take this!"

She bolted forward, striking six monsters and tearing through four of them completely before looping around and returning to his side.

Birdie switched to her angel form as she ducked behind Motoyasu's shield and looked for another opening to strike. Although she only attacked as a bird, it was easier to keep her safe when she was smaller.

They worked diligently in unison, Motoyasu leaping to intercept attacks and Birdie launching her own where she could. Thanks to Erst Feather Shield, Birdie could risk straying farther from Motoyasu when the opportunity arose, but the skill had a cool down time. She sprung to action each time the cool down finished, but it was never enough for them to push towards the boss monster in the distance.

He only had so many skill points. What happened when their stamina ran out? Already, it felt like the monsters were harder and harder to push back. Waves in Emerald Online almost always finished upon the boss's defeat. The only time that didn't happen was when the devs made too strong a boss, and that event lasted three days before they shut it down. No way could Motoyasu and Birdie hold out that long!

The surrounding monsters were getting too close, and Birdie could only hit so many with one swing of her leg. Motoysau frantically searched his skill tree for a shield that might be able to block from more angles when Birdie spoke.

"I am the source of power of all power. Hear my words and understand them. First Tornado!"

A torrent of wind spun around them, knocking away all nearby foes before shooting off to clear a path ten feet out, which monsters rapidly filled.

Magic! He'd lost his teacher and given up hope of learning, but Birdie knew it somehow. Who _cared_ how? What an angel. A heaven sent blessing!

That spell took out a chunk of her magic points though. They couldn't rely on this new ability for long.

"Birdie, see that large monster up on the mountain? Do you think we could reach it if we charged?"

Birdie looked at the boss which it was necessary for them to stop in order to close the wave.

"There's too many monsters in the way. Even if you were to put everything you had into blocking attacks, we'll both take heavy damage."

And he couldn't let Birdie get hurt. But if they kept going as they were, their prospects were even worse.

"Dammit!"

He did have one shield with a counter ability, but the damage was too low, and it couldn't activate twice in short succession. Erst Feather Shield was his only skill, and it couldn't move alongside them to maintain cover while Birdie ran a long distance. This was the sort of situation where giving up and giving your all produced the same outcome, even though he'd wanted to be his best for Birdie.

Giving up…?

The Shield of Acedia had much higher defense than anything else in his tree, and had a special skill that he'd never bothered to test. But that shield also messed with his head.

He opened his menu, attempting to read while ramming his shield into the mouth of an oncoming monster to shove it away from Birdie. The information available on the shield's skill wasn't that in-depth, but the wording made it look like it created an area of effect without dealing damage. Hopefully the fact that Birdie was a member of his party exempt her.

"I'm going to try something. If you feel weird, or if I say something weird, stop me. Kick me if I don't listen."

"K-kick you? But Motoyasu-sama, I couldn't hurt you!"

"I'll manage. A wom… I have good defense. It will barely hurt."

He couldn't exactly compare a woman's strength to a man's when you looked at his attack stat and hers. Stupid shield.

Motoyasu placed on a hand on the shield and switched it to the Shield of Acedia, then paused.

Why bother attempting the skill? The other heroes hadn't come to help with the wave, so what was he trying so hard for? It clearly didn't matter to anyone else.

"Motoyasu-sama?"

Why should he exerted so much effort despite the fact that, in all likelihood, he wouldn't alter the outcome?

"Motoyasu-sama, I don't mean to press you, but if you don't test your idea, we're going to be attacked."

Really, there was no point. Nothing—

Birdie's kick hit him smack in the middle of his infected arm, and he yelped in pain and nearly doubled over.

"Motoyasu-sama, you liar! You said it would barely hurt! A-ah! I didn't put that much force in, did I?"

At least that was confirmation that her attack was higher than the monsters they were fighting… Filolials were supposed to be a mid-tier monster class, so she might have better stats than scrubs at the same level as her, but there was a good chance she was actually over-leveled for their enemies. For all the good that did when they were so sorely outnumbered.

Still, that hurt! He told her to kick him, so he tried not to look too peeved when he looked at her for an explanation, but _that hurt!_

Why was she still looking at him like _he_ was the one in the wrong?

"Motoyasu-sama, I haven't injured you too severely to enact your plan, have I?"

Oh. Right.

"I don't know if this will work, because I straight up have no idea what it will do, but it's this or nothing. Remember, stop me if it affects you."

"Got it!"

In truth, Motoyasu still failed to see the point in trying. He had a new respawn point registered and not respawning meant he didn't have to bother with waves. But Birdie wanted to soldier on, and he had to do his best for his angel.

"Here goes nothing. Dispassion Block!"

Monsters slowed to a stop, some taking the time to pick at their fur, others lying down on the dirt and yawning.

"Huh. Guess that worked after all. Birdie?"

"Hm?"

Birdie had flopped over against Motoyasu's side.

"We can easily clear out monsters this way."

"Why boootheeer?"

It affected allies?

That was no good… But any monsters that came near fell into the shield's area of effect. Even if he corrupted his angel, he would take an angel with a status ailment over a dead one. Their best bet for survival was to keep that skill active until the wave timed out. (It had to time out, right? It had to, it had to, it had to!) Still, he had to keep Birdie's goodness at the front of his mind. Without her inspiration, he might not see a point in canceling the skill.

Motoyasu lowered himself to the ground, slow and gentle so he wouldn't drop Birdie, and waited for the cracks in the sky to go away.

Time passed and monsters continued to pour in from above. Some meandered out of his shield's range and grew violent again. Some charged in and were ensnared in the shield's effect. None seemed threatening until the giant monster on the mountain at last took notice of them.

Being so far away, Motoyasu hadn't thought they warranted attention, but with no nearby towns he supposed he and Birdie were the only worthwhile targets around. He readied his shield and hoped he'd been right in his guess that his level was high enough for the monsters they faced. If he couldn't instill the shield's apathy into such a far off monster then, for Birdie's sake, he had to care about blocking the attack.

After the lull of watching monsters that couldn't be bothered to attack, it was hard to summon up that drive, but Birdie was his angel, and it was a man's duty to protect women. He readied his shield and positioned himself between Birdie and the monster that prepared a massive projectile attack.

At the last second, The boss's head swung to the side and the attack dissipated. Not caring what distracted it, Motoyasu held his ground. Even when a flock of filolials large enough to populate a modest town swarmed the field, he didn't move. Why bother? Other filolials had it covered. All he cared about was his own filolial's safety.

He didn't bother to take note of the voice he heard, but he did feel a jolt when a notification that his Shield of Acedia was locked. The shield shifted seemingly of its own accord back to its base form. Just like that, Birdie and the surrounding monsters both rose, invigorated to fight again.

With the wild filolials come to help, they stood a chance. Yet Motoyasu felt no elation at the thought. Even if he focused on thoughts of how much safer Birdie was, he could only state in an objective fashion that it was good. There was no emotion to the evaluation.

Strange. He'd assumed the Shield of Acedia could only mess with his head while actively in use.

He moved on autopilot, driven by the understanding of what he _should_ want rather than an active desire. With Birdie landing blows again, fearless in the knowledge he would sooner have his own arm torn off than let her be hurt, and with their new allies, they could gradually cut a path to the boss.

He didn't recognize this monster from Emerald Online. Going off the game's advice was utterly useless. He only had guesses about its level and what its abilities were from what he'd seen since the wave began. But he was one of the Holy Heroes, so he was supposed to fight whether he could attack of not. When they at last reached the boss, he kept his shield raised. Even if he didn't feel a sense of pride in keeping Birdie safe, he still felt dread at the idea of harm befalling her.

Birdie pecked and kicked and scratched at the boss, giving it few chances to attack. When it did, Motoyasu was always at the ready. Or almost always. After they'd managed to take a leg off of the monster it swerved and snapped at Birdie from an unexpected angle. Motoyasu lunged to block, automatically tossing his shield to his other arm to get it in position faster.

Although the shield was right where it should be to intercept the attack, the force of the blow reverberated down Motoyasu's infected arm. His elbow buckled. A burning pain almost unrelated to the boss monster flared up his shoulder and across his chest. Were the shield not stubbornly attached to him, he would have dropped it.

His defense having failed, the blow sliced through his arm before striking Birdie. Wild filolials charged in to lend support, but only a handful helped, nervously looking over theirs backs between strikes. The remainder fled, departing the scene as swiftly and randomly as they arrived.

Motoyasu ignored them, attention instead on quickly getting a potion into Birdie's hands to treat the cut along her stomach. No angel should be marred by even a single scar, and healing Birdie was of the utmost importance. It was chance that this put him at the right angle to see approaching soldiers.

He ignored those too.

Birdie downed the potion and lunged forward without waiting for it to take affect.

Motoyasu had to scramble to keep up with her, ready to block a next blow that never came. With a decisive kick, Birdie crushed the monster's throat.

"Birdie! What if you were hurt worse?"

"Thank you for your concern, Motoyasu-sama. I'll be alright. It turns out being hurt isn't as frightening as I thought."

...What?

Was there _any_ point to him being there?

"N-not that I don't like being protected by you. I'm making an exception for the sake of our survival. The most comfortable place in the world is behind Motoyasu-sama's shield."

Exactly!

The validation should have pleased him, but he only felt The lingering sting of having momentarily believed his efforts were useless.

The absence of most of the filolials had little impact as soldiers took their place clearing out lesser monsters and keeping their focus from Motoyasu. He and Birdie, with the help of the few remaining filolials, were able to make short work of the boss.

The sky cleared and returned to normal, and Motoyasu slumped down where he stood and vomited. His whole body shook from stress, and the sensation of relief alluded him.

"Motoyasu-sama? Motoyasu-sama are you alright? Your arm…! D-do we need to treat your arm? We haven't been able to address the infection since we were suddenly brought here."

Motoyasu looked down at his arm, unable to tell if it was so swollen and red from the abuse it took in the fight, or because the infection had gone unchallenged for too long. Hopefully the former. If it were the latter, then he'd finally run out of stock and was no longer able to keep up with treatment, and a worse infection would require a more aggressive treatment than he could produce.

He had all the nix hands he needed for their quest still. Hospitalization was both out of his budget and risked his being discovered by someone who wanted to torment him. How much did potions cost? It might be a few more days before they could afford a luxury the likes of sleeping indoors.

How exhausting… Even without the Shield of Acedia, Motoyasu felt so drained that he wasn't sure he wanted to try and stand.

"Is that… the Shield Hero?"

Ah. Never mind.

Motoyasu rose and hoisted himself onto Birdie's back. He had one antidote in his inventory. He would make due with that and whatever the shield could make until they were safe.

"Alright, Birdie. The man who sold me your egg said you can outrun soldiers. Lets see what a purebred racer can do."

"Yes!"

"Wait!" one soldier cried, while a wild filolial squawked in alarm at the same moment. "Shield Hero-sama! Please wait!

Motoyasu looked to the demi-human while Birdie looked to her fellow bird.

That princess had called him something similar, and that ended poorly. But compared to what he'd been called since lies about him first started circulating, they referred to him awfully respectfully. If he were wanted for a demi-human lynching, shouldn't they be calling him things like fiend and Shield Demon?

He leaned closer against Birdie, but didn't urge her to run as she listened to the wild filolial.

"Shield Hero-sama! We received word you had agreed to come to our country, but there were no further updates. We hadn't expected to find you here." The soldier dropped to one knee, as did the other demi-humans following him. "We are endlessly grateful to you for your service, but we already feared we lost you when the only report we received mentioned you were ill. For your own safety, please avoid these confrontations in the future. The Claw Hero is perfectly capable of addressing the waves on your behalf."

"Claw… Hero…?"

There were more than four?

Well, there were more than four weapons in Emerald Online, but he was pretty sure Melromarc called him and those other three the _Four _Holy Heroes. Had they lied? Had Siltvelt summoned some other Japanese person to fulfill the role of some other hero who could actually deal damage, and delayed long enough in trying to summon _him_ that they gave Melromarc the opportunity to take him?

And anyway, he'd have avoided the wave if he could! They were warped back to the center of it when they tried to flee!

"Surely you saw him at work. He would have been summoned to the wave the same as you were. Or did you merely stumble upon it? That must be what happened. We haven't had the opportunity to bring you before the Dragon Hourglass yet, so there's no reason it should have transported you."

"No… I… There wasn't anyone else here to help until you guys showed up to… Wait. The hourglass?"

Trying to update a potential respawn point nearly got him killed? Maybe the Shield of Acedia was onto something with the whole 'why bother trying' mindset it put him in.

"Yes. We don't typically register our Shield Hero, but you can certainly have a look at it."

Wow. That was the most thorough confirmation yet that they really didn't need a fouth hero. Fifth hero? They just brushed past revealing a fifth hero existed like it was nothing.

"Motoyasu-sama?" Birdie nudged him with her beak. "They want us to go with them."

"The Shield Hero must return with us! His safety is our number one priority!"

Was it really? He really wanted it to be… the king of Melromarc had been colder to him from the start, so maybe…

"About the demi-human in the Bow Hero's party…"

"Lies from that heretic cult!"

It was safe to go with them, right? It meant sleeping under a roof and warm meals and all the things his old companions promised he would have in their country. Unless they only acted loyal to more easily capture a supposed criminal.

So far, birds had seemed like steadier allies. Motoyasu glanced at an eager looking filolial and asked it, "Can you turn into an angel too?"

The filolials cocked its head and cawed.

Was that a no? If Birdie could translate, it should be okay…

Motoyasu scratched his head as he weighed his options, and flinched at the soldier's cry of alarm.

"Shield Hero-sama, your arm!"

There was also that.

"Birdie, do your friends have any idea how to help my arm?"

"Umm…" Birdie listened to the wild filolials squawk. "He can't tell which arm needs help."

A solid no, in other words.

Motoyasu looked back at the soldier, who straightened his back under scrutiny.

"We'll have our nation's best healers on the job!"

The filolials squawked and frantically flapped its wings.

"He says there's another filolial we need to meet, and she'll be mad if he doesn't bring us."

Meet. Just meet. And for as reliable as birds were, they were just birds with no angel form. He needed proper treatment.

Although to tell a lady to wait…

Motoyasu saw Birdie gaze down at his bad arm. It had been infected almost all her life, but the concern the soldier gave it worried her. More than making an unfamiliar filolial female happy, he had to keep his angel from looking so distressed. Besides, that infection led to Birdie being injured. It took priority.

"If this meeting is important, she can reschedule," Motoyasu decided. "I'd like to see one of these healers first."

He'd never felt so guilty before watching a bird dip its head in disappointment. But priorities were priorities. And Birdie didn't mind as she turned to carry him alongside the soldier's back towards Siltvelt.

They were a shield church nation in his game, for whatever that was worth. They wouldn't send emissaries who gave their lives for him if they didn't want him. They were friendly. They were safe. He could finally relax.

He repeated those assurances over and over so as not to recall how friendly Myne was after Melromarc went through the trouble of summoning him.

-x-

**STA:** I'm treating Dispassion Block more or less like the equivalent of the general counter-attack skill of the Shield of Wrath. It afflicts curses, but more minor, curable ones. A more long-standing curse would result from an execution skill like Blood Sacrifice or whatever the fuck it was that Ren did that time Motoyasu tried to murder him. I need to re-read that part. Whatever. Point is, basic tier skills cause minor curses. High power skills unlock major curses. Anything Dispassion Block does is as treatable as anything Self Burning does, while Shieldyasu will have to pull something on the level of Blood Sacrifice or Sacrifice Aura to manifest a curse that can only be cured with time.

The Iron Maiden skill is a bit of an oddity to me as Naofumi can use it effectively without penalty, save that it drains his SP, but it's never even made clear if it always costs all remaining SP or if he just happened to barely have enough SP to use it when he did, since he more or less stops using it once he meets Ost.

* * *

**Echonic:** Eep. That's a pretty tall order. It's literally just... an assortment of people on twitter who are from Japan and post art with Japanese captions, so it's not like I have a link to give you, like a pixiv tag or anything like that. I don't track who drew what fanart when I save copies for myself, and I don't want to just upload my stash to some archive without credit or permission. The one Korean artist who drew the bulk of the crossover Shieldyasu/canon stuff also deleted their account so I have to assume they don't want people to go around reposting.

Um... karashi_minamin has some artwork that was pretty recent. And actually, as of the other day, it looks like they (she?) started on a doujin specifically about Shieldyasu (which I'm absolutely going to buy, even if I'm not able to read it yet).

**Dr. Gale: **Sorry to disappoint you, but nothing noteworthy happened.

**Guest:** See my reply to Echonic


	13. Reception of the Shield Hero

Motoyasu didn't _get_ Siltvelt's castle. He never bothered with the game version and just assumed the country had a royal family. But when the head soldier proclaimed he was from a high-born family and had a sister who Motoyasu would like, Motoyasu asked about nobility and was subjected to a lecture on Siltveltian democracy that left his head spinning.

Why have a castle with no kings?

Despite the offers to ride alongside someone else so he could spare his arm the strain, Motoyasu stubbornly remained on Birdie's back. It was only after careful consideration that he dismounted at all upon reaching the castle. He came along because he wanted to trust Siltvelt. He really, _really_ did. Even if Birdie made life manageable, Motoyasu missed the comforts of civilization, and the lack of socialization the past month was getting to him. He _liked_ being around people. And the kind of support he'd been told Siltvelt would give him sounded like a dream.

He was just a teensy bit afraid was all.

If nothing else, he wanted his arm treated. Although dismounting from of Birdie meant he'd have to waste time climbing back on if they needed to flee, he steeled himself and slid off when the need arose. The feathered man with red hair that stood on end stepped forward received a bow from the soldiers, and so probably demanded some respect.

"I'm relieved to see you made it here safely, Shield Hero-sama. I scarcely dared to hope even after word reached me that our men had brought you. It was so long since we heard any news, and Melromarc offered us no explanation as to where you might be. We feared you might be lost to us before we ever had the chance to serve you. I am Werner. I will ensure that your stay here is perfect."

"…Motoyasu. My name is Motoyasu."

It wasn't the most polite response, but it felt like the most important thing to say. Hero-sama was what that woman called him. So if they could start using his name, he decided, he would trust them not to be like her.

"I see. Motoyasu-sama, then. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Motoyasu-sama, if these people are safe, can I talk to them while looking cuter for you?"

While Werner started in bewilderment at the talking bird, Motoyasu nodded. They couldn't live comfortably if they didn't give trust a try.

"Oh! Wait a—"

He only had his cloak halfway off by the time she changed forms, and everyone got a good look at her before he could slap the fabric over her shoulders.

Werner looked between the two of them, then chanced asking, "What might your companion be. As Shushaku representative I'm familiar with all our nation's demi-human races, yet I know none like her."

Putting a hand on her chest, Birdie proudly declared, "I'm Motoyasu-sama's number one filolial!"

Motoyasu ought to have found that adorable, but could only care that when she struck that pose, she let all of the demi-humans standing in front of her see inside that cloak. And that was okay. The caring, not the exposure. So long as he cared about_ something_, he wasn't under that shield's effect.

"A filolial? I see. I had heard legends… How fortunate, that our Shield Hero was blessed with a filolial queen on his journey. Incidentally, Motoyasu-sama, does she have any clothing of her own?"

Shame faced, Motoyasu admitted, "No. I hardly have any clothing for myself. There is fabric I could use to make her something, but without any needle or thread… I mean, and it would tear when she changes forms."

"Not to worry. Changing between human and animal form is common for our kind, so we possess a solution for that dilemma. You! Fetch the equipment for magic thread. The Shield Hero wants clothes for his filolial queen!"

Impressive. Motoyasu hadn't even told them he wanted her clothed, and they still acted out his wish. Maybe this _would_ be everything he was promised.

He gave Birdie a reassured nod, and she beamed up at him.

"I'm surprised our emissaries didn't mention anything about this to you. I'll have to have a word with them about seeing properly to our Shield Hero's needs. Their lack of communication with regard to your arrival, taking you through the site of a wave without backup, and giving us no time to prepare a parade in your honor, all speaks to a lack of basic understanding of their important mission! Rella and Baowen should have known better. Hopefully Mei at least performed her role. Do you find her to your liking?"

Motoyasu looked away, unwilling to say it aloud. In an abstract short of way, he'd known that his late companions had loved ones in Siltvelt, but that, like everything else to do with them, was something he actively attempted not to dwell on.

What was he supposed to say? He rubbed his bad arm self-consciously as he searched for words to explain how they all died protecting him.

He was spared from having to say it by an alarmed gasp from Werner, and a rushed explanation from the soldiers about his arm infection and how he'd run out of medicine. From there, Motoyasu was rushed to a hospital so fast he scarcely had time to grab Birdie.

-o-

"Damn fools! They should have brought you to me _first_, processions be dammed!"

The healer squeezed Motoyasu's arm in his anger, practically digging claws into the skin.

"Kkh! Ow… Getting treatment wasn't _that_ urgent. At this point, one more hour doesn't make much difference."

"When one's health is on the line, every second counts! And look at how severe this is… Forgive me Shield Hero-sama…" the doctor set Motoyasu's arm on a table, then opened a drawer and produced a blade a little too long to be called a scalpel. "Let's not dawdle. No sense letting this get worse before we tackle it. The infection needs to be drawn out immediately."

Motoyasu blanched at the sight of the knife. Really, those had no business being so close to his body while in someone else's hand.

"You can't just say some sort of healing incantation and fix it?"

"Healing is most effective with a mix of practical and magical treatments. We will use magic in this process, but first there are basic steps we can take to lessen the severity of this infection. Please hold out your arm."

Motoyasu clutched his arm tight against his chest.

The healer regarded him with unease, glanced at the door, and then said softly, "Shield Hero, I must ask for your cooperation in this. If the infection worsens, I'll be punished for failing to treat the Shield Hero. If I treat you without your approval, I will be punished for abusing the Shield Hero."

Eyes glued to the knife, Motoyasu almost declared that the man deserved to be jailed for abuse, but his arm _did_ hurt. It was weak too. It couldn't hold his shield properly, and holding a shield up was all he was good for. Besides, Birdie looked even more alarmed than Motoyasu felt, starting in horror at his arm and muttering to herself about how the wound was her fault. He couldn't leave her feeling guilty.

"…Fine. Birdie, look away and cover your ears."

"But Motoyasu-sama!"

"This isn't a sight suitable for ladies."

The healer was coated in fur and had a neutral voice, so it seemed safe to say until she scoffed at the remark.

Motoyasu held out his arm and looked away before he could give her more reason to stab him in the wrong place. He could only feel the tip of the knife gently press against his skin, then press down more forcefully. Then he heard metal shatter.

"My apologies," the healer murmured. "Let me grab an instrument better suited for someone with your defense."

There was enough shuffling around for Motoyasu to reflexively look back with perfect timing to see the healer slice into his arm. Blood and puss oozed out in a milky pink goo, and he tried not to be ill as the healer took a rag soaked in warm water with a sharp scent and pressed it against his arm.

He swallowed hard, trying only to think about how much _less_ blood there was compared to the last time someone pierced him with a knife. No gross infection. No scary wounds that would gush all his blood out in minutes. And even if it did bleed too much, there was a healer _right there_ so he didn't need to panic! Nope! No panicking!

"The more infection we can draw out in advance, the easier it will be for magic to catch the rest."

Afraid he would vomit if he opened his mouth, Motoyasu made a high-pitched affirmative grunt.

The healer, mercifully, remained silent until she finished cleaning the wound and wiped up the table beneath.

"How did you get a wound like this?"

"D-dunno. Didn't notice. Something bit me and I guess it had time to fester. I was…" Motoyasu stopped himself before he could explain the Shield of Acedia. "I was focused on Melromarc's attempts to capture me, so I didn't do anything with the injury right away. Half my arm was red by the time I stopped to take stock of it and—Ow!"

Bitch! She needed to _warn_ Motoyasu before he dumped an entire bottle of medicine into that gash! She wasn't even cute enough to get away with something like that, covered in fur with a mouth full of fangs.

Birdie spoke before he could snap at the healer. "I-I lured a monster over to him while I was hunting so he could protect me, and it bit him. He didn't react so I thought… I thought it… didn't…"

With his good arm, Motoyasu reached out to pat Birdie's head so she would stop. Was he supposed to appreciate her crying for him?

"Almost done. Once this has had time to sink in, we should have cleared enough of the infection for magic to repair the joints unhindered."

"The joints?"

"Your hand and elbow were both swollen. In the hands of a less skilled healer, even if they cleared the infection, you would still have lasting damage. No worries. I'll have you good as new."

"Oh… That's good…"

"Still, I wish you had brought this to someone for treatment faster. How long was it like this? A week? Two? A day or two more and you might have gone septic."

"A-ah… Is that… so? Um… What if it got that bad a month ago?"

The healer laughed. "Without treatment, you would be dead!"

It was _kind of_ the shield's fault that he got the infection in the first place, but it was thanks to potion synthesizing and the passive skill for enhancing medicine that he'd kept the infection from progressing. Motoyasu gave the shield a tentative rub as if praising it for a job well done. It sort of screwed him over, but it did its best to mitigate the damage it wrought.

-o-

Motoyasu's arm was still sore when he returned to the castle late that evening, but it wasn't swollen, or red, or itchy, or painful to move. The healer intended to check on it in a few days to confirm no latent issues manifested, but all that troubled him was the ache of the joint repair process, and he'd been assured it would fade and vanish by morning.

Birdie poked at it, praising how symmetrical his limbs looked and apologizing again and again for the injury.

The concern and relief were something he ought to appreciate, but instead he found himself growing irritated, until he finally snapped, "Stop apologizing! It got that bad because I didn't bother to treat it at first, okay?"

Birdie dipped her head at the reassurance that came out as a scolding.

"Are you mad?"

"No. I just… I'm not in the mood."

"The time you ignored that injury until it was serious, you did nothing but sigh, and you stopped smiling and laughing. You wouldn't eat unless I begged you, and it was hard to find the right foods when you wouldn't say what you wanted. So of course I'm worried. Motoyasu-sama, you haven't smiled since we survived those monsters."

Was that so?

Motoyasu tapped at the the shield, as if expecting it to reveal that it hadn't switched forms after all. When he looked at his skill tree, Shield of Acedia was no longer locked, but he wasn't about to attempt using it again. Its Dispassions Block skill was useful for stalling, but it didn't bring about victory, and it was impossible to deal with injuries he incurred when the shield messed with his own head as well.

The wave had been stressful, and it was emotionally exhausting to simultaneously want to lap up Siltvelt's kindness while also wondering when or if it they would abruptly turn on him. He didn't feel the same numbness where it was impossible to care about anything and trying to change things seemed like too much effort. He was… a bad mood didn't seem like the right term for it. Unenthused, maybe.

"I'm tired is all," he told Birdie. "I'm not ignoring everything like before. But thanks for the concern. It's… You're really cute, you know that?"

A giddy grin spread across Birdie's face. It didn't melt Motoyasu like her uninhibited cuteness normally did, but it made him feel a twinge of something. A muted sort of pleasure. It was, he thought, the first really positive feeling he felt since the fight.

"Well then, we've been out in the wilderness for a month. Let's see if it's possible for us to get a bath."

-o-

Dinner was proposed before Motoyasu had the chance to ask about a tub, and woe be unto him to turn down his first proper meal in what felt like a century.

The spread already laid out in front of Motoyasu when he stepped into the dining hall made him drool. This _was_ the correct priority. Motoyasu had the first bite of food in his mouth before Werner had the chance to speak.

Werner struggled to smile at the sight, gave a nod to the other demi-humans in attendance, and then cleared his throat.

"Tradition has it that we would have a more open banquet to celebrate your arrival, but I'm told you've been on the road with scant supplies for some time. In the interest of fairness, I've invited several other prominent representatives of major factions to dine with you with the understanding that you are not prepared for a proper debut. A bath is being drawn for you, and if your companion is up for it, we can create the thread this evening to have clothing made for her. A tailor specializing in winged demi-humans has been contacted as well. I expect you'll love his work."

His? Even if it was just for dress fitting, the idea of some other man measuring Birdie's chest gave Motoyasu pause. Besides, Werner was apparently a better representation of what bird demi-humans looked like. Would this man understand the correct way to accentuate an angel's cuteness?

"I'b wader…" Motoyasu swallowed his mouthful. "I'd rather be the one to put Birdie's clothes together, so long as you can arrange for the fabric."

Between all the fashion trends he followed and an intimate familiarity with the outfit of most every angel character is popular media, he was certain he could come up with something suitable. He didn't have that much experience sewing without a pattern, but he'd enough practice with flattering past girlfriends looks to know the basics of the dress style he had in mind.

"We couldn't possibly ask you to do so much work for yourself, Motoyasu-sama."

"I'm dressing Birdie."

While Birdie lit up at the idea that it would be Motoyasu and not some stranger who made her outfit, the handful of demi-human higher-ups exchanged uneasy glances at his assertion.

One, some sort of a hawk-like man, took a seat directly across from Motoyasu and was the first to speak. "We here in Siltvelt have long worshiped the Shield Hero, but you were summoned to another kingdom and chose to travel here without knowing this was your rightful place. The delay in your arrival made us suspec… fear that you were not sincere in your wish to join us. May I be so bold as to ask why you're here?"

Others in the room stiffened, but none protested.

Motoyasu took his time chewing on a bite of food while considering the question, then swallowed and said, "To get away from Melromarc."

"Come again?"

"Well…"

The demi-humans sat in utter silence as Motoyasu recounted his struggles, starting from the crown's scheme to slander him and how eager the people of Melromarc were to laugh as he failed to obtain his most basic needs, and how terrified he was after the attack at the border and during his time wandering lost in the mountains trying to avoid soldiers. While he of course included how the lies about him were spread to other kingdoms afraid to challenge Melromarc, he skipped over the detail of how he had fallen into despair and given up. Even if shielders were limited in their use, he didn't want to sound like an even less worthy hero than he already was. To him, the story seemed to pick up once Birdie was hatched and trained and able to help him cover more distance each day and hunt, but the demi-humans still watched with horror-filled eyes throughout the tale.

"I don't know how much I can do with a shield, but I'm really, really grateful that you were willing to take me in."

He finished the story with a bow, hoping that the show of humility might soften anyone who held malicious intent like Melromarc's king had.

When no one spoke, he worried that he might have said something wrong. He looked at each of them, afraid that admitting his uselessness would have him cast back out on the streets with nothing of value lost.

Finally, an older woman cleared her throat and asked said, "After such a… difficult journey, you must be happy to be here."

Was he? As Birdie said, he hadn't smiled since those soldiers found him.

At Motoyasu's scowl, a demi-human with scales leaned forward to stare at him, and then sat back with a look of concern. "Shield Hero-sama, you appear to be under the effects of a curse."

Since when? Motoyasu opened up his status and started scrolling through information, and was surprised to see the ailment 'anhedonia' listed near the top of the page. What a familiar word. "Huh. When did that happen?"

The table erupted into noise.

"Who would dare!?"

"Someone has cursed our Shield Hero!"

"Track the culprit down! If they can't reverse the effects, they shall be executed immediately! If the can, they shall be allowed to live long enough to undo this damage!"

"This must be one more means by which Melromarc sought to torment our god! There will be retribution for their cruelty! This affront won't go unpunished!"

While demi-humans scrambled around him, Motoyasu opened his skill tree and read the description again on his most valuable and dangerous shield.

Special Effect: Self Curse, Anhedonia.

Well, whatever. Curse status ailments were almost all cured the same way in Emerald Online, and the rest faded with time. If they felt like it was necessary to track a criminal down, though, then that made Motoyasu wonder if they could see something about the curse that he couldn't, or if there was perhaps a shortage of the proper implements to cure it.

"Does this country not have holy water?"

"The church!" Werner jabbed a finger at a nearby guard. "Fetch a priest and a vial of holy water at once!"

The whole thing seemed a little overblown to Motoyasu, but if fussing over him made everyone happy, then he saw no reason to stop them.

-o-

While the demi-humans fussed over the series of revelations, Motoyasu continued to poke at his food. Midway through dinner, he was presented a vial of holy water by a robed demi-human who looked suspiciously like the man who snapped at him for trying to touch the hourglass. Given that touching the hourglass had nearly gotten him killed in a wave, Motoyasu let the harassment from before pass without comment and drank the vial as instructed.

The results were almost immediate. The notification in his status menu about the curse updated to note his curse was only at 10%, and he abruptly became aware of how _amazing_ everything tasted, and how _glad_ he was to have a stomach full of proper food, and how _adorable_ Birdie was with a bit of sauce on her cheek.

A curse that prevented him from experiencing positive emotions? How scary. He'd had too few positive experiences lately to not enjoy the ones that came.

With both the curse backlash and the difficulty using it, he would hold the Shield of Acedia strictly in reserve. It had been excellent for preventing any nearby attacks, but the friendly fire prevented it from being useful in a team battle.

Speaking of, the shield had a slot for monster soul enhancement. He'd need to keep an eye out for any drops that let him either extend its range of effect or negate friendly fire. Dealing with enemies far enough away to snipe him could at least turn it into the ultimate stall device, while Birdie could make short work of monsters that weren't concerned about the danger they were in and didn't feel like attacking if she weren't also ensnared by the shield's effect.

As Motoyasu finished scrolling through in inventory and confirming he had nothing so useful, Werner leaned down beside him to say, "Motoyasu-sama, we are currently questioning a collaborator with Melromarc who we believe was responsible for the curse placed on you earlier today."

"Oh. I think I was—"

"You needn't worry. We have the matter under control. In the meantime, we've finished preparing a bath for you. Shall we keep it warm while you finish your meal, or are you ready now?"

"Now." Motoyasu crammed one last mouthful in, then stood from his seat.

By the time he managed to chew and swallow his food, he was already in front of the massive bath they had prepared. The steam alone felt heavenly, and he almost didn't wait to scrub himself down and rinse off the month plus of grime before hopping in to soak all his worries away. Elated as he was to at last be able to relax, most of the unpleasant conversations from dinner became a distant concern. Only the caution he needed to treat his strongest shield with warranted the effort to keep in mind. It felt like there was something else he meant to address, but someone told him they had it under control, so he'd leave it to them.

-x-

**STA: **This isn't exactly a cliffhanger, but anyone who's read about the tactics employed in a Siltvelt bathhouse might have gotten a kick out of the story leaving off there. (I had trouble figuring out where to end this one, actually.)

Anyway, I'm like a week or two late with updating this. Sorry. I totally wasn't sitting on this chapter the entire time and just couldn't find the motivation to proof-read and post it.

Oh! Also, I'm going back through the older chapters and adding a little more polish. It helps me refresh my memories for the story on top of making the reading experience better. Although there's no need to re-read unless you also want a refresher. The closest thing to a major change is that I had a line about Moto getting laid from time to time in the past that I cut becuase _someone_ told me he was a virgin upon summoning, but then when the scene they cited for that was available in English it didn't indicate that at all. So I went back and added the old line about him getting laid again. Otherwise it's basically just me fixing the more egregious of my poorly worded sentences. Currently only updated the first couple chapters tho.

* * *

**Echonic:** Ha... In the time it took me to post that, the doujin actually came out. To the best of my knowledge, no one's translated it yet, but I can assure you the art is amazing. (I'd very much love for it to be translated though. I want to know what Motoyasu is crying about after Naofumi kisses him.)

**The Joining:** The other major artist I knew who drew Shieldyasu content deleted their account. Best I can tell you is to look at other artists Karashi interacts with and see if any of them have something, since a lot of the other artists she talks to on twitter seem to draw similar content.

**alicemisuzu:** I was trying to go for something where Yuki's stance on Motoyasu is pretty similar to in Reprise, but the value he places in her is more on par with how important Raphtalia is to Naofumi. In his own Motoyasu sort of way, at least.

**P.A.W.07:** I didn't intend to do that, but there's a thought. People are nicer about leaving reviews on FFN than on AO3, so maybe I could make AO3 a delayed release and encourage people to read here.

**Peiniger:** Ikki sounds more like a monkey noise to me, tbh. But it's the nickname Malty used in Aneko's short.


	14. Harem

"Was the bath not to your liking? We can have a more extravagant one prepared for you in the future."

"No... The bath itself was fine. It was warm and polished and large enough to fit fifty people. The problem was that about a hundred tried to crowd in."

"I see. Previous Shield Heroes appreciated that service, so we assumed you would as well."

"Well..." How to put it? "It's like... When you've offered a full spread of deserts, even if they all look delicious, you only have room for one or two, right?"

Come to think of it, there _had_ been a full spread of deserts on that dinner table, but he forgot to grab them in his rush to get clean.

"You would like fewer women at a time?"

"Women deserve proper appreciation," Motoyasu explained. "I can't give them what they deserve if too many approach me at once."

Although how _proper_ of appreciation he could give was hard to say. If this was standard treatment for a Shield Hero then he didn't have to worry about the women claiming he did anything untoward (right?) but he was familiar with the concept of a gold-digger. Although he wasn't wealthy and lacked use in battle, he grasped that Shield Hero was a position of status in Siltvelt. These women were likely only better than Itsuki's bitch in that they stood more to gain from flattering him than from spreading lies.

Perhaps if one proved herself to have the pure angel's heart of Birdie or the courage of Mei, he might think of them as companions. Otherwise, if they were happy to put out to benefit from association with him, he was happy to benefit from that transaction in turn.

"Understood. It may cause some disappointment among women who will have to wait longer for their chance, but I'm sure they will be flattered to know they will have your full attention when the time comes."

Man. What a great country.

"M-Motoyasu-sama!" Birdie burst out of her own side of the bath with only a towel covering her front side to protect her decency. "Motoyasu-sama I stayed on the women's side like you said, but what were all those other voices from your side?"

"A pleasant surprise," he told her.

Although...

Hm...

Having women approach him in his own bath was certainly welcome. It really streamlined things. But a reward was better when you did something to achieve it. There was some fun in having to flirt with girls first. His heart rate had certainly been elevated a lot more than he expected it to be when he first stepped into that relaxing bath. But it felt a little... anti-climactic in a way to just skip over all the steps. There was no peeping or tempting or seduction on his part. If the shield did all that work for him than good for it, but it made him feel a bit like his own merits were irrelevant.

On the other hand, if the shield did all that for him, then look at all that work that was already done for him.

"I do have to ask though... How did you find a hundred different women so fast? Where... I mean... Do they have any connections to you?"

The last woman to express interest in him had been the daughter of a king who hated him, and that had gone poorly.

"We've had a great many women eager for your arrival since we received the letter informing us that you agreed to travel to your rightful home. No, even before then. When we learned the Shield Hero had been summoned to the wrong country. While we attempted to send a covert party to retrieve you before the queen pretended she would release you to us, there was fierce debate over who should be sent. Rella and Baowen both served diplomatic roles, but we thought, based on precedent with other heroes, that a girl closer to your own age might offer you comfort on the journey. There was quite the political battle over whose daughter should have that honor."

Siltvelt really was eager to help him, weren't they? Motoyasu felt some of his anxiety over a second betrayal ease.

"I'll have to speak to Mei's family..." Motoyasu muttered.

He'd failed to protect her. Worse, she'd sacrificed herself protecting him. He never liked to meet a woman's father, but he owed that man the most sincere apology he could muster.

"Not to worry. We've informed her family of Melromarc's brutal act already. They're currently working on plans to demand Melromarc turn over the culprits who impeded your crossing and attacked their daughter. As for your role, Mei's sister is among those slated to meet with you shortly."

"I see."

What kind of meeting was that going to be? Motoyasu had glimpsed a throne room while led around, and a number of rooms that looked like they could be meeting halls. He hoped that talking to a grieving family about his failure could be held in one of those smaller rooms rather than turned into some grand public affair.

"I'll show you to your quarters. We've prepared plenty of clothing for you to make yourself comfortable in. Incidentally, do you also want us to reduce the number of women who approach you each evening? I assume your principle of wanting to be able to appreciate a few at a time in greater depth applies in bed as well."

Motoyasu's brain short circuited.

Normal relationships with women were nice. Without a doubt. He liked companionship in all of its forms. There was pleasure to be taken in simply being with women. A decent one, anyway. But then there was also _true_ pleasure that took significantly more effort to obtain-drunken parties notwithstanding. Juggling multiple relationships with women who had been willing to go that far without him agreeing to exclusivity had been a herculean effort back home. What kind of paradise was Siltvelt that they could already have such a scenario lined up and waiting for him upon his arrival?

He regretted having ever been cautious about entering the country. He and Birdie ought to have walked up to that border gate and introduced themselves.

"Wait!" Birdie cried. "Motoyasu-sama has to see even more people before going to sleep? When do I get to be alone with him again?"

"We will have a second room readied for the Shield Hero's companion, of course."

"Nonsense! It's my job to sleep next to him to help keep him warm each night!"

So precious... But he would have a hard time getting laid if she took that approach to everything.

"We'll have proper bedding here, and walls to keep the wind and cold out," Motoyasu assured her.

"B-but... but..."

He said the wrong thing! Birdie looked like she was about to cry! He couldn't make his guardian angel cry! Why? Even though that ought to have perfectly alleviated her concerns...

Perhaps... Birdie did have such a small body in her angel form. As a bird she looked fully grown, but there must have still been a truly childish side of her that was afraid to sleep alone at night. How adorable.

Motoyasu patted her head, then leaned down to whisper in her ear, "Don't worry. Once I'm done meeting with everyone for the evening, I can sneak into your room. We can still curl up together."

Truth be told, her feathers were softer than any sheets he'd ever slept on. Beds were amazing. He very much looked forward to having one again. But beds _and_ Birdie feathers seemed like a top-tier combination. Looking at the way her face lit up with the promise, Motoyasu had clearly said the right thing this time. Her excited face was so adorable. Everything about her was adorable. He would never be over what a cute angel Birdie was.

"Is the matter settled?" Werner asked. "Let me show you to your rooms."

-o-

Werner looked annoyed when he retrieved Motoyasu from Birdie's room the following morning.

"Did the guards not tell you to stay in your own room?"

"Yes."

He'd specifically asked them to escort him to see Birdie after the bat-type demi-human girl fell asleep on his bed. (The others had all slunk off disappointed after he'd gone back to kiss her a second time despite having tasted two others' lips.) While he'd insisted until Werner caved to see Birdie off to her own room before going to his, he hadn't _quite_ been able to commit to memory the route. But no matter! He recalled the view from her window, so after being asked to not go out into the halls in the middle of the night, he had gone out his window. The only tricky part was getting down two floors without losing his grip, but he figured his defense was probably high enough to buffer a fair deal of the damage if he fell. His time absorbing whatever Birdie brought him in the hopes of unlocking more skills while unable to even enter a store and weapon-copy translated into an absurd number of passive stat boosts.

His defense wasn't the highest he'd seen in Emerald Online, but it was towards the high end of what a shielder could allegedly max out at when they hit the level cap. He was still only 32 though. Just what was he supposed to make of that?

"It wasn't like I wandered the halls, so I didn't think there were any issues."

"Motoyasu-sama..." Werner shook her head in disappointment. "How do you think poor Lady Irilla to wake to find you had left her all alone."

"Er... Well... I promised Birdie..."

Werner turned his gaze from Motoyasu to Birdie, who held her chin high and defiantly grabbed his wrist.

"I'm Motoyasu-sama's most valuable ally," she declared.

"Motoyasu-sama..."

"Birdie has done more to help me survive than anyone else," Motoyasu affirmed. "I wouldn't have made it here without her. There may be room in my heart for more than one woman, but Birdie is irrefutably number one, no matter what."

"...I see. We will need to discuss in greater detail the duties of a Shield Hero to the various families as soon as there is time. For now, there is a matter of greater urgency. Please, come along."

Motoyasu cared more about breakfast than some duty. But being Siltvelt's hero meant doing the things that Siltvelt heroes did. Since he was given a role that made him less useful in battle, it figured he would have other responsibilities. He followed Werner to a large room with a table surrounded by various demi-human species. While his eye went first to the massive lion of a man at one end of the table, it was an old man with a turtle shell who everyone fell silent for when Motoyasu took his seat. With no other chairs for Birdie, he pulled her into his lap.

"So this is the Shield Hero. Siltvelt has been abuzz with rumors of your arrival, but we kept hearing you weren't yet presentable. I'm glad to see Werner has stopped hoarding you for himself."

"My apologies. Motoyasu-sama had a long and difficult journey which culminated in defending our territory from yesterday's wave. His health was the most immediate priority, and I feared some may have thought less of him as a potential champion for our cause were he to be seen in a state of disrepair. I had no intentions of monopolizing him. Several loyalists to the church kept him company at yesterday's dinner as a show of good faith on that front."

"I heard rumors," a man whose ears looked familiar yet unpinnable said. Motoyasu's stomach plummeted as he recognized how he knew them without knowing what animal they were. "Is it true then? Melromarc killed my daughter?"

Motoyasu opened his mouth to apologize, but no sounds came out. He dipped his head in shame.

"Motoyasu-sama has already confirmed for those who were present yesterday evening that you daughter gave her life to save him from Melromarc's tyranny. Her service to the Shield Hero and to our country will not be forgotten."

"I see. Was it quick?"

"I..." Motoyasu swallowed hard. "I didn't see it. She hid me from sight and then pretended that the two of us were still together while leading our pursuers away. I only saw her... body... afterward."

He couldn't begin to describe what he actually saw. Being forced after trying to long to forget it had already caused him to shake. Actually telling Mei's _father_ about the way they dragged her corpse around like an unwanted rag doll was too much. Not even as Shield Hero but as a man, he should have protected her. He bowed his head.

Mei's father was silent, and it was another demi-human who told him, "Lift your head, Shield Hero. We would not expect a newcomer who Melromarc sabotaged to hold his ground so soon."

Motoyasu did not lift his head.

"Motoyasu-sama has had a rough journey," Werner said. "Melromarc sought to torment him in every way they could. Despite telling us we could return him to his rightful home without resistance, they tried to prevent him from escaping through any means possible. That is why we our here today. The outrage our people felt to hear that his return was delayed by an illness Melromarc let happen pales in comparison to the full extent of their crimes towards our god. There will be swift and absolute retribution for such an unforgivable act, both for those who gave their lives to save our Shield Hero escape that forsaken place, and for the suffering of the Shield Hero himself. Jarvis, ready your men for war. I will draft a declaration and arrange for a supply train for provisions."

Motoyasu jolted and looked up to Werner in alarm.

"I'm not sure if it's worth an _entire_ war..." Sabotage, sure. Maybe even a few strikes on the castle or other significants parts of the country. It would serve that nasty king and his bitch of a daughter right to go without fanfare! But a war? That was a lot of potential backlash.

"Understood. Everyone, Motoyasu-sama's wise decree is that at least minor wartime action is necessary. We will bring a motion to the senate today on what actions to begin with.

He hadn't meant it that way, but everyone seemed pleased. Besides, they lived in this world, and dealt in politics when Motoyasu couldn't name a single platform of his Japan's prime minister. These people knew what they were doing. He needed to worry less.

What mattered was that he was safe, and Birdie was safe. So long as a dispute with Melromarc didn't prevent Siltvelt from assuring his safety, he didn't care about the rest.

The lion who Werner had motioned to when mentioning soldiers looked at Motoyasu with a sharp, withering gaze, and Motoyasu dropped his head again.

Melromarc didn't care about his wellbeing, so he didn't care about theirs. But...

"If this country goes to war... We'll win, right? If I escaped Melromarc only for them to conquer the nation that took me in..."

"We appreciate your worries, Motoyasu-sama. That you care so deeply for the wellbeing of this nation moves our hearts. Fear not. In this holy war, we will not lose."

"I see. Then... Whatever I can do to ensure your success..."

"We are endlessly grateful, Motoyasu-sama. We will arrange for men to aide in increasing your level so you may safely engage with and inspire our soldiers. When your schedule allows, of course."

"Birdie too," Motoyasu said. "I made it here thanks to her, so Birdie has to level alongside me."

Birdie held her chin high and waited for Werner to refuse her.

While other demi-humans in the room grumbled in protest, Werner raised a hand to silence them. "The filolial queen was instrumental in delivering Motoyasu-sama to us, and he has informed me already that she is dear to him. We would not deny him the right to have a companion who he trust by his side during the coming conflict. However, Motoyasu-sama, I do hope that we can all come to be as valuable to you as your filolial is."

"Birdie's value can't be trumped," Motoyasu declared, hugging her closer.

Birdie, for her part, grinned and leaned her head back to nuzzle it against his chest.

Although the general grumbling stopped, the demi-humans still looked unsatisfied. Motoyasu couldn't ignore it when Mei's father asked, "What is your relation to this... bird?"

What indeed?

"I'm Motoyasu-sams's number one," Birdie informed them.

That was certainly true, but it was also vague.

Birdie... she was the single most precious angel there was, but she was also a filolial that he technically raised. Even if she did most of her own raising, he hatched her egg, taught her the battle strategy that she used to finish growing up, and instilled in her the purpose that let her take over when he was unable to carry on. So didn't that sort of make him her parent? A parent didn't denounce their children as unrelated merely for being self-sufficient at a young age, so that's how it was no matter what way you looked at it.

"She's a precious child," Motoyasu said.

"She certainly does appear child-like. Werner, is it true that she also possesses the appearance of a full-grown filolial?"

It seemed he was misunderstood.

Well, no matter. Everyone was satisfied with the answer, and Motoyasu didn't care if they understood the precise relationship so long as they accepted Birdie.

"Her filolial form is notably different from that of the common filolial. However, she does appear to be fully grown."

"Her maturity is of no consequence. If the Shield Hero sees her as a child, then she poses no obstacle to the interests of the high houses."

"He may still favor this filolial over a future wife."

"That wife won't be your daughter, so its not your concern, is it?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

While the big shots bickered, Motoyasu played with Birdie's hair. Wives, he would be sure to tell Werner later, were a _very_ distant future prospect. Even if he'd been told the truth about taking more than one woman, he still wasn't quite pleased with the idea of tying himself to all the women who happened to interest him in the moment. Especially when none of them would be saviors like Mei, who gave her life for him, or Birdie, who was already family. In any case, weren't they talking about punishing Melromarc? Why did they have to argue about _marriage_ when there were far more interesting matters to attend to.

"About Melromarc..."

"Don't worry about it, Motoyasu-sama," Werner told him. "We'll handle all of the busywork on your behalf. Melromarc has no doubt trained their own heroes during the time you had to focus on traveling in secret, and will request their participation in defending their corruption. As such, we would like your help as well. We will give you ample support in quickly boosting your level."

"Like power-leveling?"

"I'm not familiar with the term."

Having a high level practically handed to him would normally take half the fun out of a game, but this wasn't a game. This was his new reality, and he'd had it hammered into him that he couldn't afford to be weak. Even if all that having his level boosted meant was that he could more easily tank for Birdie while she slowly grew her own level, he needed every advantage he could find. It wasn't a matter of what method was most fun. It was a matter of survival. If Siltvelt turned on him, or if they lost their war, he needed to be able to manage on his own. He needed to move without the fear of hostile soldiers. He needed to be able to wander through the wilderness if it came to that confident in the knowledge that the monsters out there couldn't harm him.

So he would take the training, even if it came like something troublesome like having to actively participate in the war.

As for the other heroes participating, Motoyasu liked the idea of personally seeing to it that Itsuki paid for that stunt he pulled... but he had no means of enacting a personal revenge. The best he could do was block Itsuki's arrows while Birdie punished that bastard on his behalf. Ren... He still didn't know where Ren stood on the matter. And what if Naofumi were to help defend Melromarc?

If they defeated Melromarc, then it would serve Itsuki right to have all his support stripped away. Maybe the other nations would resent him for stubbornly insisting that he ally with a shithole like Melromarc, and he would be a mistreated once separated from his precious princess as Motoyasu had been. But what if Naofumi was similarly persecuted when his only crime was being summoned to the wrong kingdom?

"I like the Spear Hero. If Naofumi hadn't helped me, I'd never have met Mei in the first place. I'd probably be dead."

Werner waved the concern away. "We'll take that into account. Now that you're washed and rested, you're ready for your public debut. The heads of the major houses seem more or less satisfied with your performance here, although we will need to discuss in greater depth your diplomatic duties within our borders after your public debut. I've made arrangements for a parade celebrating the Shield Hero's return home. Your blessing will bring great joy to our people, who worried so terribly for your wellbeing. This will not only be a show of triumph in your reaching us safe and sound, but a perfect opportunity to inform our people of this holy crusade."

All eyes turned to him.

It sounded like a pain, even without a cursed shield that dragged his mood down. Marching to war and taking all those risks. But Itsuki would be punished, and Naofumi would be safe.

"Whatever I can do to help."

**-x-**

**STA:  
**_Shieldfumi: _Sic your harem on me again and I will cause a peasant uprising to demolish your government and then tell Melromarc's queen to come in and sweep away the remains like the trash you morons are.  
_Shieldyasu:_ Hey the harem thing was cool and all, but I'm a man of restraint. Let's stick to… say… no more than five women who I've never seen before throwing themselves on me at a time.

In case it wasn't apparent enough in the chapter where she mentioned being his wife, Mei's role in the retrieval party was literally just to seduce Motoyasu. The idea was that her job was to attract him to their side even if he was content in Melromarc, but I didn't know how to be candid about that without Motoyasu getting suspicious, as he's not 100% oblivious.

* * *

**Slade01:** I didn't forget. I just checked out for a good long... half a year... or so. I've been writing a bunch more so even if my motivation peeters out, I have more to post for a while. And thanks on the development part. I've been trying hard to make Motoyasu learn, but not learn so much that he abruptly stops feeling like Motoyasu.

**Masquer Q:** I haven't read that manga, but it still sounds like a silly name to me. And I'm sure there wlll be zero ramifications for Motoyasu letting a politically seedy country think there's a culprit to punish for his curse.


	15. Fitoria

Despite the promise of level grinding, Motoyasu spent the next week idle around the capitol. He rode around on display with Birdie. He enjoyed the company of various women who Siltvelt arranged for him. He got into a minor political dispute in which he expressed his personal taste regarding the fairer sex actually appearing fair. He did zero training.

"Am I really going to be marched out to war?" he asked Werner over breakfast one morning. "I haven't seen any preparations, and no one's preparing me."

"The Holy Weapons are unable to train together, but they don't have as much conflict with the Seven Star weapons. As such, for your safety, we've requested that the Claw Hero return from his private training to assist you. Until he arrives, we wouldn't dare put you in harm's way. He's one of our strongest fighters, so there's none better to protect our Shield. You would have seen him when you were caught up in that wave."

Again with the protesting the shield nonsense. Did they not realize what the point of a shield was? They'd explained to him the gist of the Seven Star Heroes and he supposed they could count on an already trained hero with attack more than a defense hero, but they could still let him defend! It was like they wanted to rub it in how useless shielders were. Motoyasu didn't even have the energy to address it, moving on to the next issue.

"You're not the first person to tell me that, and I'm going to say what I said last time: There was no one else there."

"...Is that so? We'll ask him about it when he arrives. Perhaps he traveled outside the dragon hourglass's range without realizing... hm... That is strange..."

Speaking of strange...

Motoyasu glanced down at Birdie, who had yet to touch any of her own food and stared nervously at his.

"We will question him on that, certainly. Thanks to our benevolent Shield Hero, the wave was still dealt with, but he took a grave risk. He should be here by the end of the day, so we'll question him on the matter before he ever sees you."

"Cool."

If he wasn't there, he wasn't there. What more was there to question him on?

"For the time being, a more pressing concern is your disinterest in the therianthrope families."

"Supple skin is nice, you know. Its cute when a girl has cat ears, but not when she's coated head-to-toe in fur."

"Motoyasu-sama, are my wings cute?"

"The cutest."

"Motoyasu-sama, please pay attention. Nearly one third of our population is comprised of therianthropes. It sends an unfortunate message to them if their Shield Hero rejects them outright."

"But I'm not into them," Motoyasu said. "You wouldn't expect a woman to bed a man who she doesn't like, would you? Besides, being friends with those ladies is one thing,if someone who's coated in fur can't get it up, then that's that."

"Get what up?" Birdie asked.

"My-"

"Motoyasu-sama, this may not be a formal dining occasion, but I still ask that you practice basic table manners."

Right.

With his parents living overseas since middle school, Motoyasu went through his sexual awakening living alone. Eating by himself or with a girl he invited over for the night or, on rare occasion, a male peer of similar interests, he'd gotten used to being candid on the subject. In normal households and certainly in a palace, discussion of ones own dick was the sort of thing you didn't casually bring up over meals. Especially one with ten strangers present, which apparently qualified as a small amount when you were a local deity.

Maybe he should ask if they could arrange for him to eat with some of those girls who waited for him each night. The other day he tried to sneak out of some stuffy event where he was supposed to sit on a throne and smile and nod at every major politician who blathered on about this and that, only for a gaggle of admittedly gorgeous girls to appear and walk him back to the throne room. It had certainly been a net gain, as he got to sit on the throne with girls hanging off of him rather than all alone, even if he'd have rather spent the time with them elsewhere. But if women could flatter him during political affairs, then surely it wasn't too big an ask to have them eat with him. He missed going on dates where he could feed a girl a bite of his food and then see the favor returned.

Absentmindedly, he forked his eggs and held them out to Birdie, who chomped down on the fork with a vigor befitting her usual composure.

So she was hungry after all? But then why ignore her plate? They had all the same food.

"Aren't you spoiled?" he teased. "If you wanted me to feed you so badly, you could have asked."

Birdie glanced nervously at her plate, then leaned in to whisper. "Motoyasu-sama, I can smell poison in my food."

"Someone poisoned your food!?"

All of the guests fell silent at Motoyasu's exclamation.

The demi-humans looked from one to another, frantic worry in their eyes, and then all hell broke loose.

"Who would dare poison the Shield Hero's companion!?"

"Find the culprit immediately!"

"Justice must be had for this affront against our god!"

"Someone get the girl to a healer!"

"Motoyasu-sama, we'll have the heads of these would-be assassins before you at once!"

Never mind what happened to the culprit! What about Birdie!? Motoyasu cupped her cheeks in his hands and turned her from side to side to inspect for damage while she clung to his sleeve as a demi-human attempted to pluck her from her seat. If Birdie was poisoned, what point was there in even accepting Siltvelt? She was the reason anything mattered. If she were poisoned... If she were poisoned...

If Siltvelt let her die, what point was there in protecting the country? Even looking out for himself hardly seemed to matter if she wasn't there to worry for him.

"Motoyasu-sama, stop! I didn't eat any of it! I didn't eat it! I promise! The poison smelled so strong I knew it wasn't safe to eat! I didn't have a single bite! H-hey! Stop trying to pull me away away from Motoyasu-sama! Motoyasu-sama, hold me tight!"

If she said so!

Motoyasu pulled Birdie closer and held her in a bear hug, scowling at the demi-human who had tried to snatch her away. Birdie had managed to avoid eating anything poisonous for her the entire trip to Siltvelt despite Motoyasu having sickened himself while foraging a time or two. If she said she didn't eat any of the poisoned food, he would trust her. He trusted his number one ally above all else, so that made the demi-human who tried to take her away suspicious.

Or wait... If that man wanted to help keep Birdie safe, was he also a trust ally?

Motoyasu stared in blank confusion at the demi-human in question, mind zagging back and forth between suspicion and gratitude, while everyone else ran wild around him and Birdie nuzzled up against his chest.

"Motoyasu-sama," Werner leaned down to whisper into Motoyasu's ear, "it seems there is an enemy hidden in the palace. We'll escort you and Birdie back to your respective rooms for safety."

"But what if Birdie _isn't_ safe? As the Shield Hero, it's my duty to protect her. I can't do that if you split us up."

"This is a necessary precaution."

"Um..." Birdie unburied her face from Motoyasu's torso and looked up at Werner. "We haven't really been outside since we got here. If it's not safe inside the palace, would it be acceptable for Motoyasu-sama and I to avoid the criminals by leaving the palace until they're caught? I want to run, and to help Motoyasu-sama increase his level."

Werner stared at her for a second before responding. A lot of demi-humans did that. Apparently, her ability to speak one the local dialect precisely had improved in the past week, but she still tossed out random words in other dialects and languages from time to time. Not that Motoyasu could tell when she jumped between them.

"The Claw Hero will assist Motoyasu-sama in that endeavor, and we don't know how many enemies may lurk outside. You will be perfectly safe under guard. Don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of this before its time to prepare lunch."

How efficient their investigators must have been. Motoyasu was impressed... but he couldn't help but notice Birdie looked disappointed.

If Siltvelt wanted him to take it easy and let them deal with the heavy lifting, then he was fine with that, but how dare anyone disappoint his guardian angel!

"Take us both to my room," Motoyasu instructed. "You can place all the guards you want outside my door, but I'm not letting go of Birdie until this man is caught."

"Understood."

Motoyasu gave Birdie a reassuring smile and carried her all the way to his room, ignoring her protests that she was perfectly capable of walking herself and even that it was her duty to be _his_ steed.

Once the guards were posted, the door was shut, and the two were alone, Motoyasu set Birdie on his... not the bed. The sheets hadn't been washed since the last woman in his bed. He set Birdie on a chair and whispered conspiratorially into her ear.

"Time for a run."

For all the times he'd snuck out, the guards had yet to learn to station anyone outside his window.

-o-

Getting out of Siltvelt proved difficult.

Motoyasu and Birdie were not the anonymous faces they had been a week ago. He'd been paraded around on Birdie's back. She'd sat in his lap while he rode atop a carriage. So many times, they'd been shown off. Getting out of the palace without being seen did little good when they couldn't step out onto a street without people exclaiming his presence.

"We're going to be in trouble when we return," Birdie observed.

"In hindsight, I might not have thought this through. Do you think we'll have to repay whoever's roof that was?"

"If we do, then it will be nice to be allowed to work."

For the first time in his life, Motoyasu didn't disagree with that sentiment. Although really, it was the guards' fault for forcing Birdie to jump onto a building and run along the roofs to get him out of the city.

"I was caught up in the moment, but I've gone and caused trouble for you. Should we return? That gave my legs enough of a workout for the time being. If I tell them that I'm to blame for you having fled like that, you might not be scolded."

"Sneaking out was my plan. I couldn't let my guardian angel take the fall for me on that one. No sense in looking back now! Onward, I say!"

They were going to be in trouble no matter what. They might as well enjoy their freedom while they had it.

"Where to?"

The only nearby terrain he knew was the road they followed into the city. Walking the other way along it meant moving closer to Melromarc. Even with more than a month's travel between him and there, the idea gave him goosebumps. Motoyasu still couldn't shake the idea that Melromarc soldiers were lurking on that road, waiting to drag him back to the capitol and torment him again. His stomach ached just thinking of what it had been like back then.

Actually, those were _current_ hunger pains! With all the panic over Birdie's food having been poisoned, he barely ate two bites of his own breakfast!

"Hold on."

He still had his stockpile of travel provisions. Motoyasu retrieved some dried meat and bread from the shield, passing a mouthful to Birdie before digging in himself. Hunger was not allowed! Certainly not now, when he no longer had to hunt and scavenge. Some would-be assassin with a penchant for poison wasn't going to keep him from feeling full!

"Okay. I'm refueled. Let's see... Oh. There's a lake visible from my bedroom window. I think we would have to circle around the city to see it, but if you're still up for a run then we could go there without straying too far, If we're lucky, we'll encounter some good monsters on the way."

"Around the city? Do you mind if I run at full speed?"

"My arm's all healed." He flexed it for her, pleased to feel no ache from the act. "I can hold tight without worry."

"But you just ate. If I made you sick-"

"I-I don't get motion sick anymore! I'm over it! _Over it!_ I'm three-hundred percent used to riding on a filolial now!"

Jeez. Maybe he threw up a time or two. Maybe he even had to wash Birdie's back for her once when he didn't warn her in time that he needed to dismount. But that was ancient history. It was a cruel thing to do to a man's ego for a woman to constantly suggest he had such a pathetic weakness.

"In any case, running at full speed sounds best. It's only a matter of the time before the guards come after us on horseback. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if some horse therianthrope tries to catch us on foot."

He hadn't seen any horse-people yet, but he'd definitely seen an incredible cat-girl with a cheetah pattern. Regrettably, he saw her from the distance during a parade. Not only had there been no chance to hit on her, but there was almost no chance she would be brought in to see him either. The women who warmed his bed were all the daughters of important political figures looking to garner favor. He'd figured that out after enough dinnertime debates over his nighttime habit of sneaking away to see Birdie. If he wanted someone from among the common civilians, he would have to pursue them himself.

In a way, that made commoners more alluring than women who could offer wealth or power. After all, a man who sought girls for such shallow reasons was shameful. A noble princess wasn't desirable for the throne she stood so close to, but for the purity of a princess in an of itself. But the women who practically begged him for his seed each night were a far cry from pure, and none of them offered any challenge. Flattering a commoner who thought herself beneath the attention of the esteemed Shield Hero and persuading her to come to his side was the exact sort of fun his life currently lacked.

Come to think of it, he needed to ask Werner about whether or not there was any form of birth control in this world. He'd taken too many risks in the past week.

While his stomach had adjusted to Birdie, riding wasn't so second nature to him that he could dwell on that concern once the took off. Focus shifted to holding tight to her and adjusting his weight to accommodate her turns. He'd learned from experience that his defense was high enough for it to not hurt when thrown from her back, but it was still startling every time.

Forced as he was to pay attention to his surroundings, he of course noticed when a second filolial attempted to run beside them, only for Birdie to pick up speed and leave it behind. A third attempted to joint, then a fourth before Motoyasu recalled something important.

"Wasn't there someone they wanted us to meet?"

Birdie slowed to a crawl and glanced back at Motoyasu. In her bird form he couldn't see her blush, but he could tell from the slight narrowing of her eyes that she was embarrassed not to have taken that into account.

He'd forgotten himself, with all the other activities Siltvelt threw at him, but there was someone the birds wanted him to meet. He'd demanded a reschedule so he could prioritize his arm, and it was fixed. The filolials helped him in the wave before the soldiers did, and they were technically the same species as Birdie. He owed it to them to go along. Besides, for them to show up after a second incident might be a sign. Perhaps they could help catch whoever tried to poison Birdie, or at least teach Motoyasu the trick to detecting poisons like Birdie could.

They came to a stop and waited as more filolials gathered around them. Enough for Motoyasu to grow nervous that someone from the palace might notice the activity in the distance from a window and send someone out to investigate. Then a carriage rolled up, and out stepped an angel. Filolials parted to form a path between her and Motoyasu.

"Woah!"

Motoyasu hopped off Birdie's back and raced to meet the angel as she stepped elegantly down the path, then lifted her up in the air. "Birdie, look! She's just like you!"

Any elegance or grace on the girl's face dissolved into anger.

"Put me down at once!"

"Haha. Your angry face is adorable."

So there were other filolials like Birdie, huh? But they had to be rare, given that no one expected Birdie to have her angel form.

"Motoyasu-sama! Stop looking at that woman and look at me instead!"

Motoyasu lowered the other angel almost all the way to the ground and looked back at Birdie, who had changed into her angel form and ran up to him with a look of betrayal in her eyes. Could it be that filolials were actually territorial? But he had never been one to let himself be a single woman's man before, and Birdie couldn't have him in every way anyway. He hatched her egg. Giving her romantic ground, much less giving her sole domain over that territory, was somewhere between bestiality and incest,

"Don't worry, Birdie. You're always the cutest."

Her dress was better too, which Motoyasu took credit for. While the angel in his hands certainly wore an elegant gown, it was almost too much. The understated dress Motoyasu had helped design for Birdie, which changed forms to match her transformation, fit in well in formal settings while also functioning as cute, casual wear.

"Hmph. I suppose I can accept that, but how come you never lift me up like that?"

"Unhand me. Now."

Well, if they both said so.

Motoyasu set the girl down and smiled while she scowled up at him. She had a similar childish appearance to Birdie, although her hair was shorter, and both it and her wings had a blue tint at the tips, and her expression was entirely too sullen. He wondered if she might be around Birdie's age. That was... were they nearing two months now? How long would it take them to finish growing up?

"Were you the one requesting a meeting with us?" Birdie asked.

The girl smoothed out a ruffle that Motoyasu had disturbed in her dress as she said, "Yes. I intended to speak with you much sooner, but wasn't able to approach due to the interference of another party. And then you left with them."

She shot Motoyasu an accusatory glare.

"I needed medical treatment," he argued. "Unless your parents are doctors, I stand by my choice."

"Parents? No. Never mind. I came because I heard reports of a new filolial queen moving from town to town." She turned her attention to Birdie. "If the hero who raised you was injured, then I can overlook your previous rejection. Now that the issue has been addressed, I would like the chance to test you."

"Wait. How can you tell I'm the hero?"

"You fought in the wave," she reminded him with a patience that made him feel like a scolded child. "Besides, only a hero could raise a filolial queen."

"Oh. Then you must be Naofumi's."

"Who?"

"Ren's?"

"I'm not familiar with either of these names. My master-"

"Birdie, we're leaving."

"Huh? We are?"

"Wait! I still have important business!"

"We're not working with Itsuki's filolial. She's probably here to abduct us."

"She is!?"

"Stop it! I have nothing to do with any of the current heroes!" the girl snapped. "I was raised by a previous Shield Hero! Stop jumping to assumptions! Are all of the current heroes so difficult?"

Motoyasu stared at the girl, sizing her up, then asked, "How long ago was the last hero summoning?"

"My own sense of time is different from most people's, but by my standards I would say recent. There was a shorter gap between this generation's summoning and the previous one than most generations of heroes who I've seen come and go."

"Okay. More pressing. How old are you exactly?"

"In terms of centuries, I-"

"Nope. Stop there. I've heard enough."

A legal loli. He'd only seen those in games before, like with his beloved Fleonne. Man. Fantasy worlds really covered all the bases, didn't they? Except elves. There were no elves in Emerald Online, but the game also lacked angels, so Motoyasu could hold out hopes for an elf girl. Although two have such an old angel still look so childish...

Motoyasu cast Birdie a sad glance. So she was already at peak development. Smaller, cuter girls were part of a well balanced diet, but most men looked strictly for women with a mature sex appeal. If her chest was done growing, then that would limit her potential suitors. From a father's perspective, if meant he had to worry less about dogs hounding her, but thinking of her own happiness, he couldn't help but worry.

"What's with that look? Motoyasu-sama? Motoyasu-sama, what are you thinking while you look at me with those eyes?"

The girl cleared her throat. "About my test..."

"If it's going to hurt Birdie, then no."

"You're impossible." The girl shook her head. "Were you not the only hero to spread out and assist with waves outside of where the other three operate, I wouldn't bother with you."

So Naofumi was still in Melromarc? Well, he was safe there.

"You didn't give me a chance to properly introduce myself earlier, so allow me to do so now. I am Fitoria, queen of the filolial flock. I've come to test your filolial's potential to serve as my successor." Turning to Birdie, she said, "Your name is Birdie?"

Birdie stared silently at her for five seconds too long, then said, "The name that appears above my health bar is Birdbrain, but I prefer Birdie."

Fitoria shot Motoyasu an accusatory look.

"No one warned me... I mean... I had a rough couple weeks. If you know a way to officially change it..."

"We're ignoring that thing for the remainder of this test," Fitoria said. "Poor dear. To think _it_ would be the only hero to raise a filolial."

"_It!?_"

"I don't appreciate how you address Motoyasu-sama, but if passing this tests proves I'm worthy of a status I hold by virtue of belonging to Motoyasu-sama, I'll comply."

"Very well. Ready yourself. Your hero is forbidden from taking attacks for you in this fight."

"I've been injured once before! I can handle it!"

-o-

"While your efforts to keep your companion from being harmed are perhaps the only commendable thing about you, don't you think it's made her soft?"

"Normally I'd find that acerbic, mildly abusive way of speaking to make a girl feisty, but you're laying it on too thick."

Besides, how dare she badmouth Birdie! She passed! Birdie passed! Fitoria said so herself. Sure, Birdie was practically in tears with all her cuts and bruises and winced each time he applied a potion-soaked bandage, but she passed! She was even given a cowlick to match Motoyasu's as proof! If Fitoria thought that just because she was cute and unlocked a bunch of new filolial-themed shields for Motoyasu, she could get away with speaking ill of Birdie, she was dead wrong!

Now back to healing up those cuts. It wouldn't do for such a cute girl to end up covered in scars.

"I acknowledge that you did perform admirably. It seems that while working with you so closely with your hero has made you more easily distracted when injured, it has also made you more aware of your size in each form. You would be well served to find a suitable weapon for attacking when your talons are not available to you, however. There's more advantage to be had in this form than in being a smaller target."

"A weapon, him... Maybe a shield of my own?"

"That's my only asset, so let's find something else for you."

It would certainly be easy to get her a shield. Motoyasu could probably hand her the one hanging in his room. (Or not, since he was too low level to use it yet.) But her role in the party was dealing damage. She needed a suitably elegant weapon. A rapier, perhaps. Or a crossbow. Or... what was a weapon that did well at short and long ranges? He always charged into the front lines and attacked without any consideration for avoiding damage when he played Emerald Online. He hadn't a clue which weapons worked best for Birdie's position.

How would she even carry it while changing forms?

"Werner might have some ideas for how to arm you. If he doesn't kill us for sneaking out."

"I appreciate the trouble you took to meet with me," Fitoria said.

Since it was the first time she'd said anything nice too him, Motoyasu didn't tell her that she had actually been nowhere on his list of considerations. He learned before he got to high school that you never came clean to a girl about forgetting a date.

"Well, I get why they'd be so antsy about keeping me safe after an assassin snuck in. Especially with the war talk. But honestly! I'm the _Shield_ Hero. What even is the point of me if I have to hang back and be protected all the time?"

Fitoria stiffened, and for a moment, Motoyasu thought he'd said something to offend her.

"A war?" she asked. "Now of all times? The people of this world are too foolish."

Technically, Motoyasu only said he thought an entire war wasn't warranted, so that remark didn't apply to him. Still, it worried Fitoria. He gave her a brief rundown of everything that had happened, from Melromarc's illicit summoning and the abuse he faced to Siltvelt's horror and indignation, and the retaliation they sought. The story took some time with as often as Fitoria stopped him to ask for more details of scold him for being so poor at explaining things. Between the test and the later discussion, the sun was dipping down by the time he finished.

So much for being back in time for a poison-free lunch.

"Motoyasu-sama didn't order them to go to war," Birdie tacked onto the end of this story.

"No. It sounds like he serves as a convenient pretense. What to do...? Siltvelt does often claim the Shield Hero, but assassinations are highly common. If Melromarc taking damage in a war causes them to loose their grasp on the other three heroes, then that serves my purposes fine. Now that I know why the other three haven't done their part to fight in most of the waves, it's clear that some manner of separation is needed. But if the Bow Hero is as you described and Siltvelt plans to march you into war as well, then there's a risk you'll be asked to fight one another. It's fine if you don't necessarily get along so long as you both place defending this world over your feud, but for heroes to actively fight one another... If I were to deposit you in Melromarc briefly to discuss these issues with the other heroes-"

"If you put me back there the first and only thing I'm doing is booking it. Birdie, listen closely, if this grandma-loli tries to force us into that country, she's strictly an enemy."

"Can't you take even the slightest risk for the sake of the world!?"

"You're asking me to go to a country that _already_ tried to kill me that's now _at war_ with the country I allied with! You'd send me to my death? I'd sooner fight you to the last than take the guarantee of doom! Oh! But Birdie, if we're ever in a fight where it looks like we can't survive, I'm going to play decoy so you can escape, understood?"

"No!"

"I'm asking you to avoid a fight with the other heroes! If any one of the heroes were to die, it would make the waves much stronger."

Hero deaths made the waves worse?

That sounded like something worth mentioning to Werner. On a personal level, while Motoyasu was far from wishing death on anyone, he didn't particularly _care_ if Itsuki were to die in the war. But Motoyasu did care if protecting Birdie's world became harder. In fact, he even cared if Naofumi ended up at greater risk over some desire to make Itsuki pay.

If Itsuki appeared on the battlefield, he would need to be captured alive. It was too bad Motoyasu didn't have any skills for restraining an opponent.

"If I tell Siltvelt that, I'm sure they'll be cautious about hurting the other heroes."

"I hope you're correct. So these other heroes... Naofumi, Ren, and Itsuki. I only have _your_ word to go off of, but if the Bow Hero is tangled up in another kingdom's politics and the Sword Hero is an unknown... Very well. I advise you tread carefully in Siltvelt. Your death would worsen the waves as well. But if you won't cooperate with me in contacting the other heroes, I'll try approaching the Spear Hero. It's not worth picking a fight with the only hero who's helping to cover more ground, and if you're right about the Spear Hero, then he may be more cooperative in helping with the other waves as well."

"I'm not _that_ unhelpful..." Motoyasu grumbled.

Just because he didn't want to return to that hellscape. What a rude girl. Why was it his problem anyway that other heroes didn't spread out and help with the waves? So long as the place where he and Birdie lived stayed safe, that was enough. He didn't care about anywhere else.

"Ah! Come to think of it, if you want to scold other heroes for not fighting in more waves, the Claw Hero is supposed to be here soon. Everyone keeps telling me he was supposed to participate in the wave you saved me and Birdie from, but we were all alone until your filolials showed up. Thanks, by the way."

"Letting you die would put the world at risk, so I would save you again if need be despite having gotten to know you. But very well. I still intended to speak to you about that shield you used at that time, so I didn't yet intend to part ways. I don't wish to enter that city, however."

The obvious solution would be to fetch the Claw Hero for her, but if they went back after the chase they gave the city guard, they wouldn't be allowed outside again for sure.

"Birdie... do you think if we make a big enough scene, they'll send the Claw Hero out as part of a search party to collect us?"

"They didn't say when today he was expected to arrive."

"My apologies," Fitoria said. "I forgot. You said you had to sneak away to meet me here and would be in trouble upon returning. If the Claw Hero is ever separated from populated areas, I can track him down then."

"Well... we don't really know his routine. I guess it's a big deal that he's coming here..."

Supposedly, once this other hero arrived, Motoyasu would finally be allowed to train under Siltvelt supervision. If Fitoria had an objections to being around too many people, then that might be an okay time for her to approach the Claw Hero. Or maybe not. Werner said it like the Claw Hero was the single person they trusted with his safety, but Motoyasu suspected there would be plenty of other guards who came along. Hopefully not so many that it lowered the exp yield for dealing with monsters, but given how they'd managed his security thus far...

"It would definitely be best if we could lure this guy out to us now. Too bad we have no idea what he looks like."

"I expected nothing more from you."

"Hey! If you're trying to tease me, you're taking it too far. That's not a cute look at all. Besides, I can't help it if no one describes him for me and your world lacks cameras. Hm... Some way to lure him out without alerting the guards to come and collect me... Birdie, you're smart. I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

Birdie looked up at him as if she were about to cry.

Motoyasu was down on his knees, inspecting her for any wounds he might have failed to treat before he even thought to ask, "What's the matter?"

"If it's important, I can run back and ask for the Claw Hero myself. I'm only given the attention I am because I'm your number one, so they won't try and hold me. Especially if I can lead them to you. But leaving Motoyasu-sama with another filolial queen..."

"You needn't worry. Even if her personality is better than the Siltvelt girls, she's no where near your level."

Birdie lit up. Even after she transformed into her filolial form, you could still see her barely restrained grin. "Hm-hm. That's right! I'm always your number one! Okay! I'll fetch the Claw Hero and be back!"

Motoyasu waved as Birdie took off towards the castle, and didn't turn away until she was too small in the distance to be seen clearly.

"I'm surprised. For all your complaints that I dislike you, you rank me above the people supporting you?"

"Above the women," Motoyasu corrected. "You're personality seriously isn't cute at all, and any youthful cuteness you have is inferior to a nice hourglass shape, but at least you're upfront. I definitely appreciate that a lot more right now."

Compared to all those women who flattered him in the hopes that he would raise their status in return, and especially to bitches who would seduce him only to set him up for failure, a girl who came right out and said what she wanted without trying to manipulate him was nice.

"Hm... I hate how you said it, but it's an answer consistent with everything else you told me. Very well. While we wait for Birdie's return, I'd like to speak with you about your cursed shield."

-x-

**STA:** I think I might have a problem with too many intended cliff hangers hinging on people posessing spin-off knowledge...

I don't really have anything else to say for that. I'm trying to prep for a potluck and just realized that I was supposed to update today. Luckily I already went through and proof read this chapter while catching myself back up to speed with the story, so hopefull there aren't too many typos, but I can't think of that many comments to make...

Um...

I did try to quickly edit Motoyasu's dialogue so he said Fitoria-chan instead of Fitoria, but I couldn't find any instances of him calling her by name in this chapter. So oh well.

* * *

**Raj8:** Naofumi is second only to angels in this fic. As for Motoyasu's relationship with Birdie... For his behavior, I guess I'm sort of trying to apply things he says post-breakdown to his pre-breakdown personality? Post-breakdown Motoyasu still has a very sexual idea of women even after losing most sexual interest in them, such that while he calls any filolial his child and insists that it would be incestuous and wrong for him to be into them, he does still try to teach them behaviors as though he's raising them to be the kind of girl he would have been into.. Sorta like... that's his only understanding of how a woman should be, even if his intentions are apparently 'innocent' in the moment. And then pre-breakdown he seemed pretty unaware that he came across as a cad and that women weren't fond of his more pervish behaviors. So I'm trying to keep things like that in mind while I write him.

**KnightOfZaku:** Well, currently the fic is somewhere between the first and second wave, so the queen's hands would be tied for a little longer dealing with political fires in a hypothetical situation where the shield is still more or less cooperating with Melromarc. Given that the situation in this fic is that the Shield Hero was nearly murdered trying to flee the country, missing for a month, and then turned up in Siltvelt reporting all the abuse he suffered and how the country nearly killed him, I imagine she's a little busier still. It might be a while before she can excape that sumit she's caught up in.

**I wanted a unique name:** To be fair, he didn't demand a war per se. He just said he didn't feel like a full on war was justified. Even if he gave a full and unequivocal rejection of the idea, Siltvelt would have waited about five more sentences into the conversation to interpret something else he said as an excuse to attack their long-time enemy.

**Guest:** This could either mean stop messing with Motoyasu, or that Motoyasu needs to stop messing with the harem Siltvelt provides, and I have no idea which you were going for.


	16. The Claw Hero

The gist of Fitoria's lecture was as follows: Don't use the Shield of Acedia. It's bad. It makes you feel bad. It does bad things to you. Using it is bad.

Motoyasu had already noticed most of that for himself.

"It beats dying," he nonetheless argued. "If I have to use it again, I will, but its pretty limited in its use. It can be a last resort for sure."

"I don't like that answer, but I suppose it's better than I hoped for out of you. Very well. So long as the current heroes fulfill their duty, you not dying is an interest we share. With that understanding, please _only_ use that shield in times of dire need. Even if you fear for the lives of others beyond the heroes, I ask that you hold it in reserve."

"I'm still using it to keep Birdie safe, but you didn't need to tell me not to use it carelessly."

Who would use a shield that sucked the joy out of life if they didn't have to? What an annoying little bird Fitoria was to nag him so much.

Thankfully, it looked like salvation was on the horizon. Motoyasu saw Birdie coming back with a small entourage of fighters, including one particularly large beast of a man who Motoyasu could tell at a glance was surely the absentee Claw Hero.

"Hmph. Bringing so many people back with her…"

It only looked like six to Motoyasu, counting Birdie and the Claw Hero. That was the smallest number of people Siltvelt left him to since their soldiers first found him. Bath and bed company notwithstanding.

When the group reached them, Motoyasu balked at how the Claw Hero towered over him. If he had to fight beside a guy who made him look so small by comparison, what would happen to his image? Melromarc would make propaganda of how short he appeared, like that one French general.

Motoyasu had little time to dwell on that when one of the other demi-humans stepped forward and said, "Shield Hero, it was inappropriate of you to leave before we finished punishing the assassin. If he had any confederates who he failed to confess to, they may have made another attempt on your life."

"I thought I said I wanted to be called by my name…"

Also, wasn't it _Birdie_ that the assassin targeted?

And did they say _punishing?_ Siltvelt sure jumped straight into things. Investigations back in Japan were rarely so fast. It was sure scary how fast magic could handle things in a fantasy world. And yet Melromarc had employed no fantasy tactics to verify anything when he'd been wrongfully accused.

Birdie transformed back into an angel and clung to Motoyasu's side. Not only did she grab at his clothes, but she pressed her cheek against him while scowling out at the men she'd brought along. It wasn't unlike her to do that when she saw him near another girl she didn't like, but uncharacteristic otherwise. Fitoria was too cold to be worth pursuing when there were more women than Motoyasu could ever learn the names of eager to warm his bed in the palace. There was no one for Birdie to be territorial over.

"So you're the Claw Hero?" Fitoria asked. "I need to speak to you about—!"

She jumped back behind Motoyasu, then moved instead In front of him. The filolial who had sat dutifully off to the side while she and Motoyasu spoke rose to attention, and the carriage she had arrived in moved seemingly of its own accord to her side.

"Fitoria-chan?"

"What's this about?" The Claw Hero asked. "There's no need to look so on guard. I came to ensure the Shield Hero makes it home safely, and because I was told there was someone else here to discuss matters of heroism with me. Surely you don't intend to attack me for having been out of range of the wave. That's not going to help anyone now, is it?"

"I'm the one who ought to question you. That weapon looks like the Seven Star Claws, but I can clearly see that they're fake."

"Fake? That's one hell of an accusation to make." The Claw Hero stepped forward and placed a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder. "I'm hardly a stranger here. You can ask anyone. They all know me, an they know I was chosen."

"Unhand the Shield Hero."

Motoyasu looked between the two in confusion. The Claw Hero was well known. Impersonating him did sound unreasonable.

But when he tried to turn to Fitoria and say as much, he found the Claw Hero's grip too tight for him to break free.

"Claw Hero… san?"

The Claw Hero slashed at Fitoria, and she spun her carriage around to intercept and smack him before anyone else could react. She turned into a filolial. A massive filolial Motoyasu thought might be larger than the palace. One of her massive, taloned feet came down on top of him and pinned him to the ground, tearing him painfully from the Claw Hero's grip while her other foot kicked the Claw Hero away. The man flew the length of a soccer field before rolling and getting back to his feet, and Fitoria raced after him.

"Shield Hero!"

The remaining Siltvelt guards tried to surround him, only for Birdie to dart beneath him and change into her own filolial form to lift him out of their reach.

"H-hey! Birdie!? What are—shit!" Motoyasu clutched his injured shoulder. That was the same side he'd tried to keep an infection from wrecking for a month, and now he could barely move that arm again.

"If that one was a danger, then what about the rest of his allies?"

"Fitoria-chan was…" She was the one who caused his injury, but the Claw Hero was responsible as well for clutching him so tight.

"Shield—Motoyasu-sama!" one of the Siltvelt guards implored. "We need an explanation. Why is the person you asked the Claw Hero to meet attacking him?"

"I-I don't know. I don't know what's going on!" Motoyasu insisted. "She was upset that the heroes weren't fighting as many waves as they should. When I mentioned how the Claw Hero missed the last wave. She wanted to speak to him too. She helped with the wave until the soldiers showed up, so I couldn't turn her down. She didn't say anything about attacking or… Did she say that the claws were fake?"

"That can't be! I know our Claw Hero and that's him, by sight, sound, and smell! He couldn't hold any weapon _but_ the Seven Star Claws!"

"But he—!"

A stream of entrails flew between Motoyasu and the soldiers, who all fell silent.

No one spoke while they followed the trail to the upper half of the claw hero a dozen yards away. The beastly, wolf-like man's fur rippled as though it were a calm lake that someone skipped a stone across, then changed color and shrunk. The remains left spread across the ground became that of a fox-like woman.

Motoyasu leaned so far to Birdie's side that he nearly slid off and politely refrained from getting any of his vomit on her feathers.

And Birdie, after patting him with a wing, whispered, "That's not a monster I can eat, is it?"

"I'm pretty sure that's crime scene evidence," Motoyasu whispered back, although he didn't inspect the carnage again to verify as much.

As Fitoria, again in her angel form, walked back to the group, the Siltvelt guards balked.

"This… This isn't our Claw Hero…

"Illusion magic?"

"How many illusion users are there so powerful that they could disguise even scent?"

"A fake Claw Hero has injured the Shield Hero!"

"Where is the real Claw Hero? We must find him at once."

Fitoria huffed, watching the guards with disdain. "If someone is impersonating the Claw Hero, then the real hero was most likely attacked, and the assailant needed to cover up what they'd done. This is exactly why I don't go near people."

Attacking a hero?

What was _with_ the world? Kicking the Shield Hero to the curb, Motoyasu got. He didn't like it, but he got it. He couldn't deal and damage, so he wasn't as valuable as the other heroes. Even if Naofumi (bless him) thought there was value in a Shield Hero, Motoyasu felt like people could get by just fine without him. But claws had good speed and attack. A Claw Hero was absolutely valuable to saving the world. Who in their right mind would try and stop one of the useful heroes from doing their job? Did the people of Birdie's world _want_ to die?

"Miss Filolial Queen, we would like for you to accompany us back to the palace. We need to initiate a search for the Claw Hero immediately, and the senate will value your account."

"I refuse." Fitoria grabbed her carriage and turned away. "If you're certain the Claw Hero is still alive, then I will search for him on my own. Besides, it seems I need to speak with the Spear Hero as well."

Motoyasu wiped the last bits of stomach acid from his lip and weighed whether or not to argue she stay. Whatever level she was, she had to be leagues above someone who could take down a trained hero with actual offensive capabilities. If there was someone out there targeting and impersonating heroes, he wanted an ally like that. Especially when the impersonator grabbed him like that. On the other hand, did he need to see another cute girl kick a person in half and leave a trail of guts?

It was too tough a call to make on his own. He had to defer to her. If Fitoria felt like it was safe to leave him, then he would trust that he would manage without her.

Although she didn't instill confidence when she looked back at him and said, "Shield Hero, I ask that you please be careful with how you conduct yourself. The previous Shield Hero to live in Siltvelt died two months after his arrival. Whether someone from Siltvelt deliberately sent a fake Claw Hero to you with malicious intent or this was coincidence, the number of underhanded tactics this country uses has increased. I don't advise staying here long."

Then why did she say as much in front of Siltvelt guards who vouched for that fake!?

That's what Motoyasu wanted to scream, anyway, but you didn't simply _tell off_ a girl who could kick a man in half. Instead, he tightened his grip on Birdie before saying, "When you find Naofumi, tell him I still owe him big time, and that I made it here safe."

He was fed. He was clothed. He was bathed. He was fed. He slept in a warm bed. He hadn't worried all week about his next meal. Even if there had been an attempt to poison Birdie and a hero stronger than himself was in danger and the culprit had nearly taken him as well, and even if something bad happened to the previous Shield Hero, he was better off than when it look like he was going to die of starvation within the next few days. With Fitoria's warning, he would be more aware too of any risks that he faced in Siltvelt. Rather than let Werner handle whatever threats arose, he would take a more active interest in what happened around him.

Fitoria looked annoyed by the message, but nodded and turned again to leave.

"Oh! And tell him about Birdie. She's too awesome for people not to know about her. Wait. Does anyone have paper? I could draw her so—Ow. Crap. Maybe I should get this healed first."

"Goodbye, Shield Hero."

Rude. She took off without giving Motoyasu the chance to pass a drawing on to her.

Well, he'd have to arrange to meet up with Naofumi some other time. No matter how confident Motoyasu was in his drawing skills, no artist could capture Bridie's angelic cuteness in all its glory on paper anyway.

His attention was pulled away from Fitoria fading into the distance by Birdie tugging at the hem of his shirt with her beak.

"Motoyasu-sama, do you think I could have a carriage to pull around as well?"

"Huh? You want to do something like that?"

They way she looked up at him with wide eyes shining bright and full of hope, it wasn't like he doubted her. The problem was more that he couldn't understand such a wish. Birdie was plenty strong, but who would expect such a cute girl to want that kind of labor?

"Filolials enjoy pulling heavy objects," Werner reported.

"I see…" He didn't get it at all. But if that was a thing her species liked, he could roll with it. He never understood why women obsessed so much over shoes either, but he still carried their new footwear during mall dates, or complimented how they looked in every pair they tried on. Something not being his speed didn't mean he couldn't please a woman with it. "But riding in a carriage while Birdie pulls would look…"

It ought to only look like a carriage pulled by an especially fluffy filolial. The issue was more that Birdie demonstrated similar strength between her angel and bird forms. Now that she had clothes and didn't need to worry about people learning of her association with Motoyasu, she favored the form he told her was cuter. If she pulled the carriage in angel form, he would look like a total slave driver.

"You can still ride on my back. I _insist_ you ride on my back while I pull the carriage. You can't stroke my neck if you're not on my back while I'm pulling."

"Wh-what's the point of the carriage then?"

"To be a carriage. We can store things in it, if you want."

"I can already store plenty in my shield."

"It can be a moving home!"

"The Shield Hero—er—Motoyasu-sama already has a home in the palace," a guard reminded Birdie. "And he needs to return to it immediately. His shoulder will need treatment, and we have to initiate a search for the our missing hero and bolster security around the hero who might have been taken as well were it not for that girl."

Motoyasu and Birdie exchanged looks. If assassins with poison and fake Claw Heroes could easily move around the palace, there were too many places their defenses needed shoring up.

"Please, Motoyasu-sama. The Claw Hero's level was higher than anyone in the palace. If someone was able to harm him—"

"You don't have to rub my low level in." Motoyasu patted Birdie's head. "Alright. We'll return for now. But I want to have a word with Werner about your security. The lengths we had to go to just to get out were too much. What if you people caught us? If that… fox woman was the one who took down thee Claw Hero, then weren't Birdie and I in the right for sneaking away? Imagine what could have happened if Fitoria-chan weren't there when she… he… it grabbed me."

Not that any of that was planned. He forgot anyone wanted to meet him and had no idea they were a filolial with a level so high that his HUD couldn't read it. But one never let a good disaster go to waste.

"Th-that… Of course. We'll take into consideration our wise Shield Hero's intuition as well. For you to have survived the journey from Melromarc on your own, you no doubt have a keen sense for how to avert such threats."

"Naturally."

His gut currently told him to hide in Birdie's feathers from the Claw Hero's enemies and the threats Fitoria mentioned alike… but not returning to the palace meant food insecurity. They couldn't buy food in any Siltvelt markets while Werner and the others tried to bring him back under their watch, and he only knew a few local plants that he could forage. Maybe he could stash food they served in his shield. No threats inside Siltvelt scared him more than the thought of a return to sleeping in back alleys, fantasizing about how it might feel to eat with no hope of food on the horizon.

Motoyasu clung to Birdie the whole way back to the palace and hoped his fears of hunger didn't put her in any undo danger.

-x-

**STA:** I've kinda lost track at this point of how many times Motoyasu has thrown up in this fic. I feel like it's a lot. Maybe I'm bullying him.

* * *

**reality deviant:** I might have been channeling Re:Zero's Ram a little bit. We only ever see Fitoria and Motoyasu interact once he's broken, so I was trying to figure out how she would act towards the less scary version of him.

**pretty good:** Maybe he should head for Shieldfreeden? I'm sure it's totally free of any problems.

**Peiniger:** Uwah. Thank you for dropping so much feedback at once (even if being reminded about my bad habit of too much thinking about things made me want to cry a little). But despite how this chapter starts, you'll get to see Acedia!Motoyasu more in the future.


	17. Second Ally

**STA:** The last fandom that I was in was strictly a manga without much of note happening in spin-offs, so you could pretty safely assume that most people reading fanfic knew all the relevant canon, and it's come to my attention that I maybe shouldn't make that assumption for a light novel series where a ton of people only watched the anime, the manga hasn't yet introduced a lot of characters in the LNs, certain main story plot events are contained in a drama CD that only recently got a fan translation, and a lot of the events for this fic are taking information from a spin-off that no one is translating the WN of and a lot of people won't touch the manga for.

So clarification on a spoiler that you all read last chapter: Someone is going around targeting heroes and stealing their weapons. The Claw Hero is one of the first people targeted. The group behind this includes a fox woman named Tulna with strong illusion magic. In the spin-off, when the Claw Hero is called on to meet Naofumi, she poses as the Claw Hero and is exposed when Motoyasu accidentally murders her about one minute into the meeting. Since Motoyasu isn't OP in this fic, I gave Fitoria the job of catching on and killing her instead. Both in the spin-off and in this fic, her appearance and death are the instigator for a larger plot to do with the group she belongs to.

(Actually, Naofumi encountering Sadeena in the village was based on spin-off content too.)

-x-

Since unlocking the Portal Spear, Naofumi developed a routine. He could only store three locations at a time, so one was whichever location his party most recently traveled to in their adventures, one was the island off the shore of Lurolona that Sadeena used as her secret base, and the last was a back alley in Melromarc. He moved between travel locations and the base at meal time, and checked Melromarc every evening.

That evening's check came up fruitless. The slave merchant had no new Lurolona slaves, nor did any business partners have one to sell. Not even a child, and certainly no adults. The slave merchant even canvased his own network as a service to a return customer, but no one along his business chain relieved such slaves. They would have to start looking at other slave traders, and even check sales records to find Lurolona slaves who they hadn't purchased in time.

Although Sadeena told him that demi-human children aged rapidly when leveled up and that those children who wanted to fight in the waves would grow into their role, Naofumi couldn't in good conscience put children on the battlefield. Even if they looked like adults, the oldest of the children they reclaimed was only twelve. He thought if they found more adults like Sadeena, they could grow their party, but so far it was only the two of them. It seemed all the other adults from Sadeena's village died during the wave.

There were other slaves Naofumi bought. Children he picked up and brought back to the hideout regardless of their origin. (They couldn't stay in Lurolona itself. When he spent a night there with only Sadeena, they'd been harassed by slavers.) If he had more money, he would also rescue older slaves. But Sadeena putting out a request for specific slaves drove up the price. They needed to save every copper they could for saving children.

There were other expenses too. Feeding twelve kids was no small feat. Before he returned to the base, he needed to buy more ingredients.

From the slave merchant's tent, there was a network of back streets you could take to quickly reach the market. Naofumi paused along that route to slip into a dive of a tavern for only a minute. Since he stopped staying at inns, taverns and gossip while hawking wares were his go-to for news. The guild only ever reported on Itsuki and the princess, and Naofumi suspected the king controlled what info they shared.

There was gossip among the drunks of how the Sword Hero slew a dragon, but still no word of Motoyasu. The last Naofumi heard, the Shield Hero allegedly attacked guards along the border before disappearing. A story Naofumi would believe when hell froze over. The Shield Hero couldn't attack.

The survivors of Lyute still fumed at how Motoyasu failed to protect them. Naofumi couldn't get a word in edgewise whenever he crossed their paths to explain that Motoyasu was protecting another kingdom in need. Personally, he was madder that Itsuki and Ren had run to fight the chimera and left a _spear_ wielder to play _defense_. If they all defended the village until the soldiers arrived, there would have been fewer casualties.

No helping it now. All he could do was get stronger for the future. But even if Sadeena had already gotten his level up to the 70s, a party of two could only do so much.

The dilemma had troubled him the past few weeks. After one too many attempts by the church to plant a new party member for him, he was wary of any offers. Demi-humans were a safer bet, but too few were willing to fight. Any slaves who could fight in the waves, would demolish the funds Naofumi needed to save the victims of the first wave.

It was while ruminating on the problem that Naofumi heard the scream.

There were two other men in the alley, both seedy looking, neither concerned by the noise. Like they heard it all the time, and it was nothing to be alarmed by.

Ten feet away was a brothel. He could have easily misinterpreted that scream, and rushing to the rescue only to find out he interrupted…

Naofumi slapped his cheeks so he could say they were only red from his hand prints. He was the Spear Hero! A little embarrassment shouldn't stop him from helping people!

"No! Stop! _Stop!_"

Naofumi threw open the brothel doors and ran past a man who tried to grab him to burst into the room from which he thought the sound came.

Two men inside, thankfully beneath a sheet, froze and looked at him in horror.

"S-sorry. I…"

"Stop! Please! Help!"

"Sorry again!"

Naofumi left the two men and threw open the adjacent door.

A man had a young woman pinned against the wall, a shackle linking her ankle to a nearby bed. Her torn top lay at her feet. Her arms were pinned over her head by one of the man's hands while he used the other to wrestle off her skirt.

Naofumi raised his spear.

"Back away from her."

The man shot him a dirty look without turning from the girl. "I paid fair and square."

"Then go get your refund. She's not interested. Right, miss?"

The girl had fallen to her knees and was sobbing into her hands. When Naofumi called on her, she shook her head, but said nothing.

"What kind of cheap whore charges and then chickens out?" the man snarled. "You, get out already. I paid, so I can do whatever I—"

"Shooting Star Spear!"

Meteorite chunks crashed into the wall to the right of the man, who was only level 8. While the coward ducked from an attack never aimed at him, Naofumi slammed his spear into the chain on the ground. It broke with a satisfying clang, and he grabbed the girl and pulled her through the hole in the wall before activating his next skill.

"Hey! Get back here you son of a—"

"Portal Spear!"

-o-

"Oh? Naofumi-chan visited a brothel? If I'd known you needed a little comfort, I'd have happily satisfied you."

"This is exactly why I didn't want to go in there."

"Does that mean you already had your fill for tonight.?What a shame. You know, at my cup size, my breasts are quite heavy. I was hoping someone could hold them for me."

"I see. I'll hold your cups then." Naofumi gathered up the nearest of the mugs Sadeena had filled with booze in his arms. "Clearly, you've had enough to drink for the night."

"I could drink a little more. It looks like someone has something to offer me."

She gestured downward, and Naofumi lowered the mugs to hide his crotch. A good-natured and buxom woman was talking about sex with him. Of course his body would react! But even if the children had been shooed away, while the girl he rescued listened in was not the time!

"You've had enough for the week," Naofumi amended. "Now either sober up and help me out, or go to bed."

Sadeena pouted, but set down the drink in her hand and turned her full attention to the rescued girl.

In the heat of the moment, Naofumi hadn't taken the time to really look at her, but he'd been able to take the girl in since. She looked too young for that line of work. Even the braids she'd tied her long green hair in only served to make her seem more childish and timid. Although she'd calmed somewhat after Naofumi lent her his jacket, she had yet to speak. At least she'd finally lifted her head to inspect the cave he brought her to.

"Naofumi-chan didn't scare you by taking you so suddenly, did he?" Sadeena asked. "I promise he's not a bad kidnapper. We can take you back to the castle town as soon as his spear recharges. Naofumi-chan, your other portal goes to Roanwa right now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I didn't get the chance to buy anything for dinner either…"

"We have enough food still to throw something together. I can return to bland, inferior cooking for one night on this girl's behalf. Although as payment for foregoing one of Naofumi-chan's delicious meals… Miss? Can you tell us your name?"

"Huh!?" The girl looked at Sadeena as if noticing for the first time that she wasn't alone in the room. "R-Rishia! Rishia Ivyred!"

Even speaking, she seemed timid.

"Rishia-chan, are you injured? Naofumi-chan can use healing magic."

Rishia shook her head.

"That's good. No old bruises either?"

Another head shake.

Rishia caught onto the meaning of that question before Naofumi, and whispered, "I've never been inside a place like that before today."

He really rescued her in the nick of time. Naofumi sighed to himself, relieved that this girl was safe, and that Sadeena realized the need to be serious.

Except then Sadeena asked, "Is there anything we can do to help?" and Rishia shook her head again.

Rishia still trembled slightly. Obviously she needed _some_ sort of support. But Sadeena took that response in, shrugged, and rose to her feet.

"Then I won't bother you. If you decide you need a fellow woman to talk to, call for me. Otherwise, I leave you in Naofumi-chan's hands. He'll make dinner and help you get home once the children have eaten."

"You're leaving?"

"I have to check on the children."

"Oh… okay…"

The ones who saw Rishia saw her clothed and quiet. Keel had even tried to play with her before he was chased off.

She must have wanted to check on the one that screamed a lot. Sadeena was keen on that girl. So keen that they were outlaws in the domain they stole her from. Apparently, her parents had been dear to Sadeena. But she hadn't spoken a word to Naofumi since they rescued her save to go into hysterics whenever he got close. When he watched from a distance, he would see her mutter few words to Sadeena, but she was so subdued that she wouldn't chew unless Sadeena or Keel put food in her mouth for her. Naofumi had no idea what that girl had been like before the waves, but Sadeena said she'd been incredible.

Woe be unto him to keep those two apart.

"I guess I'll start on dinner…"

There was no proper stove or oven, but Naofumi and Sadeena had built a fire pit and piled rocks around it to make a space to cook. Naofumi took fish that Sadeena caught while he was out, gutted then, and laid them over the heat to grill.

While they sizzled, he looked over at Rishia, still sitting far away. Outside of Sadeena, Naofumi didn't have much experience with women, and he was pretty sure Sadeena was not the norm. How was he supposed to talk to her after what happened?

He couldn't say nothing. Naofumi steeled himself and forced words out.

Um… Rishia? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to but… Well… When we bring you back, will you be safe?"

"Fue…"

"No?"

Rishia squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, braids whipping back and forth.

"I don't know! I don't know why Itsuki-sama never came for me, or if I would be sold somewhere worse if I tried to reach him to tell him what happened."

"Huh? Itsuki?"

"You know him!? He tried to keep a low profile."

He wasn't trying hard! Naofumi could barely go anywhere without hearing about Itsuki's exploits!

"We were summoned together." Naofumi held his spear out for Rishia to see better. "I'm also a Holy Hero."

Rishia nodded, but didn't say anything to that.

Well, given how quiet she'd been thus far, that probably wasn't a _bad_ response.

It could be worse. If he were Motoyasu, he'd have no chance of getting her to talk. Imagine being saved from a near rape by the hero best known for supposedly trying to rape the princess. Ren never wanted to talk either. Awkward as Naofumi felt in that moment, he was the best hero to have stumbled upon Rishia. Unless he wasn't. What was that about Itsuki coming for her?

"How did you meet Itsuki, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Itsuki-sama saved me. My family was forced to give me to a neighboring nobleman to save their land, but he tricked them and took me away. Itsuki-sama freed me from him. I was going to serve Itsuki-sama to thank him with my support but… fue…"

So the girl was a magnet for situations like the one Naofumi found her in. How unfortunate.

"I think I can guess the rest. That creep followed you back to the castle and took you while Itsuki was distracted." Naofumi tightened his grip on his spear. "That building isn't too far from the location I saved. When we go back there, I can straighten that guy out."

It felt embarrassing to say. Naofumi had never tried to play tough guy before. He reflexively apologized to a guard he knocked out the time they went to rescue that girl Sadeena wanted. Although he'd been too angry after seeing the dungeon they pulled her from to remember how he conducted himself after. He wasn't _quite_ that angry yet, but Rishia needed someone to assure her she was safe. Hopefully, he had looked more heroic than goofy.

"Fue…"

"I-I'm stronger than I look, you know."

Rishia shook her head. "I don't doubt you. But that man wasn't the same one Itsuki rescued me from. He was… a customer at that… place. I wish he'd listened to me, but the one who bought me was the building's owner."

"Bought?"

Rishia didn't answer.

It couldn't be…

From his interactions with Itsuki, Naofumi had gotten the impression he was a decent person. A little obsessed with what impression he made, but largely well intending. Naofumi didn't have much nice to say about the princess or how readily Itsuki took her at her word, but being a poor judge of character wasn't the same as having a poor character. Naofumi never shared Motoyasu's belief that Itsuki was a confederate in the conspiracy to smear the Shield Hero. In fact, since Itsuki did _occasionally_ question the princess while Motoyasu let her get him blackout drunk, Itsuki had a better track record of not taking her entirely at her word.

But if he was involved in human trafficking, that changed everything.

"I see. So that's what Itsuki's _really_ like…"

"Fue!? Itsuki-sama never did anything wrong!"

"Ah… My mistake. Sorry. I shouldn't be so quick to jump to assumptions like that about my fellow heroes. After what happened with Motoyasu, I guess I've been a little on edge."

How far he'd fallen from the wide-eyed young man he was upon summoning. Now he was so readily suspicious of people, and even if it was for a good cause, he'd become a regular in a slave tent. The old Naofumi would be horrified to see what he turned into upon coming to a fantasy world.

So it wasn't anyone from Itsuki's team, and it wasn't the man who took her in the first place.

"It wasn't a complete stranger who sold you to that place, was it?" Naofumi asked. "Talk about bad luck."

Rishia looked down at her hands, and Naofumi couldn't help but think that she didn't want to tell him he was wrong again.

…Because for some reason, she was afraid to name the culprit.

"I'd like to have a word with whoever did that to you," Naofumi said. "If you're afraid of backlash for it, I can keep quiet. But if someone is targeting the heroes or their allies, as the Spear Hero, I need to know about that. I have a dozen _children_ under my care right now. I need to ensure their safety."

"Fue…"

"You saw them when we arrived, right? Please? I won't make any trouble for you, but I need to know that Sadeena and the children stay safe."

Although if anyone tried to pull anything on Sadeena, Naofumi was more worried about what state he'd find her would-be assailant in.

"I may have misunderstood the situation…"

"That's fine. It's only something I want to know so I can take precautions. I won't act against anyone you don't want me to."

Rishis still fiddled with her braids as she hesitated to tell him, "When Itsuki-sama went to the guild to listen for rumors of other injustices that he might be able to help correct, a few of the other members of the party said they wanted to show me a certain weapons shop. My stats aren't as good as the rest of the party's, and they promised they could get me equipment to help me be more useful to Itsuki-sama. But was taken to that building instead. Mald held me in place while they put this shackle on me, and Myne and the owner of that place argued about how I came without a slave seal and then agreed on a payment in light of that. And then they left."

"…What part of that did you misunderstand?" Naofumi asked.

"Fue?"

That sigh was starting to annoy him.

"They pinned you down, put you in chains, and sold you to a brothel. What sort of context could you be missing that makes that okay?"

"Maybe Itsuki-sama was planning to expose them, and he needed someone on the inside."

"But then wouldn't they ask you if you wanted to be their plant? Never mind that. They ought to have _told_ you! They definitely sold you to a brothel with ill intent! Itsuki let that happen!?"

When Itsuki and Naofumi met up for the first wave, he'd learned that Itsuki had recruited a demi-human to his party, only for that party member to be found dead several days later. Itsuki had thought Motoyasu was responsible, and the princess had talked up how Siltvelt might have done the deed on Motoyasu's orders. At the time, Naofumi thought Itsuki paranoid and the princess shady. Now he revised that impression.

Itsuki was an idiot at best. He went around fighting for justice and _supposedly_ tried to keep a low profile, but didn't notice fiends within his own party? Even if you supposed the princess was subtle, the guilds weren't. Itsuki had to have noticed all the stories of his exploits practically posted on bulletins. Itsuki was either willfully ignoring that his every deed was widely reported, or wanted to be praised for not caring about recognition while reveling in it at the same time.

And if the princess could sell one of Itsuki's party members as a sex slave, what else did she get up to? The demi-human from Itsuki's party died while they stayed at an inn, with no signs of forced entry. The official story was that she must have forgotten to lock the door

"I don't think I can take you back there tonight," Naofumi decided. "If Itsuki's party is that bad, then what would they do if they saw you? You don't have to stay at my hideout, so I can drop you off in Roanwa, but I can't in good conscience put you back in danger."

"I'm sure Itsuki-sama would-"

"Assuming Itsuki is innocent, he failed to notice criminals right beneath his nose. Would he know to protect you If you went back? Would he believe you over the princess if you told him what happened?"

He wouldn't. Itsuki could tell when the princess contradicted that which he saw with his own eyes, but he was wrapped around her fingers. For any situation where there wasn't evidence to contradict her, he took her word above all else.

"_Since_ Itsuki-sama is innocent," Rishia said, "and he failed to see through those two, someone needs to stop him before they ruin him."

One of those two was the princess of Meleomarc. They couldn't exactly call her a villain without solid proof. But Rishia was right about them needing to help Itsuki. They couldn't let a hero be compromised. The band of four was already short one after that same princess chased their shield out of the kingdom.

"You're not wrong, and I'm willing to believe you. I've seen the princess do some shady things. But she got away with all of them. Unless you have solid proof she sold you, you're the one who will suffer for it if you tell Itsuki what happened. Still, to think she was that bad… That's not something I can overlook. I'm still happy to take you to Roanwa if you want, but…" Naofumi opened up his menu and sent Rishia an invite. "…I'd like to work with you. We have a shared interest in keeping the Bow Hero from falling."

And if the princess had tried to keep this girl away from Itsuki, then there was no way she was a plant. If she served well by one hero's side, she could be of great help to…

She had absolutely terrible stats.

Because Naofumi had forced a gentle smile throughout so much of the conversation, it (felt like it) was easy to (hopefully) maintain a pleasant expression as Naofumi took in just what kind of stats he'd taken on. Level 30? Her stats were all worse than his had been at level 10!

"Great. How long did you travel with Itsuki?" A day? Two? "If you have a sense for the types of quests he takes, Sadeena and I can focus on jobs and business ventures in the same areas. The more times we cross his path, the more chances we'll have to catch the princess doing something we can get her on."

The priority had to remain collecting the Lurolona children. Keel, being the first child they came across, have given them the names of every survivor he knew of, and they had less than a quarter of the names and one confirmed death of a child already. To say nothing of what the children they reclaimed alive endured while enslaved. Naofumi couldn't see another small corpse or another broken child like that screaming girl, even if that meant letting the princess do more harm in the meantime. Gathering funds for more slave purchases trumped tracking the princess, but as often as they could do both at once, they would.

"I was with Itsuki for almost a week. I think I gained a good sense of what patterns he likes in quests."

"Good. And… about your stats…"

"Fue…"

"I have a spear that can boost stat growth, but only under certain circumstances. If we manage to meet the criteria, let me know what stats you want to focus on. If we're lucky, it will happen before I get a good sense for what your strengths are."

The Friendship Spear he unlocked when Sadeena drunkenly demanded he see what he could get by absorbing a lock of her hair. For some reason, the spear's name had irked her. It did sound a little lame, like something out of a bad shounen. He was embarrassed to say it out loud or even switch to it. Since Sadeena planned to reset her level once Naofumi was confident he could manage while she worked her way back up, he hadn't used it much on her yet, even though its ability to adjust the stat growth of those in his party with whom he formed a bond was useful.

But if you told someone that by befriending them, they could gain a huge stat boost, that opened the door to people only pretending to be your friends. Even an honest person who didn't want to take advantage of you might feel awkward knowing there was an incentive, and that could hurt a relationship as well. He'd told Sadeena about it, but planned on keeping it a secret otherwise. If someone with loose lips heard, all of Melromarc might know within days.

Letting Rishia know that he had _some_ means of giving others a boost was more than he wanted a girl he just met to know. But really, her stats were atrocious.

"I-I'll do my best! Whatever role you need me to fill."

Between her lightning and harpoon, Sadeena already handled most ranges of combat well, while Naofumi could fight in close quarters and short distances. Ideally, she would be well suited to attack from the back.

Even if she didn't fit neatly in combat, she could always help them pick out jobs, confront Itsuki when the time came, and then babysit when he and Sadeena wanted some private time.

That was a selfish thought. Naofumi turned back to the cooking so Rishia couldn't see him look ashamed of himself. The fish were fully cooked, and he took them off the heat and laid them out on plates for everyone.

"I'm going to call the children back for dinner. There's enough for you too. Have a seat… um… anywhere. Sorry that we're short on furniture. Tell us about what you did on Itsuki's team while we eat. Sadeena will want input to on how we can best combine our strengths."

Rishia didn't seem as useful as what he'd hoped, but maybe she was the norm for most citizens, and Sadeena was an exception in terms of abilities. In any case, at least for the time being, it seemed Naofumi had gotten his wish for a third party member.

-x-

**STA: **I almost named this chapter "Rino" as a nod to the member of Motoyasu's party who Myne sold to a brothel behind his back in canon, but that story was cut from both the manga and anime so I don't know how many people would have recognized the name.

Anyway. one of my biggest pet peeves in Shield Hero fics is when Naofumi buys Raphtalia and trains her to fight even when events were radically altered such that he has no reason to force a child slave into battle. I mostly blame the anime for this, because it gave less focus to how desperate he was and cut out large chunks of his motivation to buy Raphtalia specifically. (It didn't even show some of the other slaves he nearly bought.) So since Naofumi in this fic isn't jaded or desperate and can not only fight for himself but has Sadeena with him, it wouldn't make sense for him to force Raphtalia to fight. But maybe I also tweeked her circumstances a bit in this fic. We'll revisit that later.

Actually, I almost made the next Naofumi chapter about rescuing Raphtalia, but I had no specific plans for it and some notes for recreating the Rino moment but with Rishia had been sitting in a spare file for a while now. She'll be more relevant once the whole war thing gets underway anyways, so it makes more sense to focus on her anyway.

* * *

**reality deviant:** A new plot point. It'll be expanded upon in future chapters.

**Peiniger:** Oof. Well... The White Room Syndrome and too much internal monologue type stuff... are things I've known for a while that I'm bad about. I'm trying to catch myself more and more while actually writing and revising, but it's a work in progress. This fic was inspired mostly by Aneko's what-if story, but also largely by a lot of discussion stemming from it about all the different things that would then screw Motoyasu (and everyone else) over if you kept in mind all the events from the main story/spin-off, so trying to work off of that meant keeping some moments of Motoyasu getting saved by others, and between that and the Acedia shield I planned to make a character arc of him repeatedly getting into trouble by being passive and needing to take the reigns at some point, but I guess I didn't do a good enough job of making it clear that that's where the story was heading.


	18. Siltvelt's Shadow Politics

It took two days for Motoyasu to be able to talk to anyone. He was confined to his room while the big shots scrambled to revise security. He had to wait while a taste tester sampled each dish he requested for poison. After the first time, Motoyasu took to feeding the taste tester personally. He had a passive skill for enhancing the effectiveness of potions. If he had to someone eat his food and then wait to see whether or not the man keeled over, then it might as well be a shorter wait.

There were no parades or stuffy meetings. There weren't even women waiting for him when he bathed or lay down in bed. All contact was halted. He had to pitch a fit and threaten to run away again just to get Birdie moved to his room during the whole ordeal.

It was while the two of them were alone in his room that Birdie leaned in and whispered softly so as not to be heard by the score or so of guards outside his door, "I don't think they caught whoever put poison in my food."

Motoyasu didn't see any reason to whisper. If Birdie were right, then it _was_ a conspiracy they wanted to play dumb to. He just didn't think she was right.

Still, he whispered to appease her. "They already told us they did. They even got him to confess to people who helped him sneak the poison into the kitchen."

"Motoyasu-sama, with as many people as are in the palace alone, I don't think they could weed out an assassin that quickly. Especially not when they seemed focused entirely on catching us as soon as they saw us running away," Birdie argued.

"They executed him within view of the window."

Motoyasu had glanced up from time to tome to see how it went and get assurance that Birdie's killer wouldn't threaten her any longer, but he hadn't been able to watch the whole thing. Even the crowd that gathered to cheer on the criminal's death seemed excessive.

"We only have their word to go on that he was the culprit. Didn't Fitoria warn us about Siltvelt?"

She had.

But that didn't mean Motoyasu liked the implication of any of it.

For one, that meant there were people at large who wanted to do Birdie harm. Beyond that, it meant that gruesome death befell an innocent man.

"It's such a pain that I can't even see Werner right now," Motoyasu complained. "At this rate, I'm going to run out of paper to make notes on what to talk to him about once they finally settle the security issues."

He'd started to worry they might never relax their guard, but it was later that afternoon that Werner came to see him. Werner, and an old man with a turtle shell who stepped in before Werner could shut the door, leaving the bird-man looking peeved.

Motoyasu recalled seeing that old man at some assembly where he had to give an opening speech. The whole thing had been written for him, but everyone acted like they were his words and praised him anyway. Something about Siltvelt's might and righteousness or whatever. He'd been ushered out of the room just as discussions began, so he hadn't marked the event as important.

"Am I released from house arrest?" Motoyasu asked. "I said before I was brought back that I wanted _more_ freedom to move around."

"My deepest apologies." Werner bowed in a way that was getting on Motoyasu's nerves. The man always did that while pacifying him. "We're still reviewing security measures. I've only just received clearance to visit you. We would like to grant you more freedom, but with the severity of this threat and your current level—"

"My level would be higher if I could leave my room and train," Motoyasu snapped. "I got this far with Birdie. Rather than tell me to wait until someone else can train me, let me go out with her. Post guards nearby in case we need help if you insist, but let us train. I can't defend against the waves if you don't let me raise my defense."

"We understand that, but your safety—"

"Birdie and I will be summoned to waves no matter what you do. If you want is to be safe, we need to train. Besides, didn't you plan to include me in the fight with Melromarc? Itsuki and that princess have been able to focus on their levels since they got here. Right now, his attacks can definitely trump my defense."

"The boy makes a fair point," said the old turtle, whose eyesight might be shot with his advanced age, so Motoyasu let it slide that he was called a _boy_. "A small, trusted guard ought to be able to watch him from nearby while he and his talons ready themselves for their work. No matter what other plans we may have for the Shield Hero, we can't overrule the shield itself. He will be safer from threats inside and out if allowed to fight. Think of how it might look if we pit him against Melromarc's hero, only for him to fail because we were overprotective."

Werner scowled at the turtle, but Motoyasu jumped up to clasp the old man's wrinkly hands in his and say loudly, "Thank you! I have absolute faith you'll find only the best guards to keep an eye on us."

He could hear the men posted outside his door shuffle and whisper in response.

"As a matter of safety, allowing Motoyasu-sama to—"

"Werner! You said I needed to show the therianthrope families more favor, right? Would it make up for ignoring those girls if they had family who were suited to accompany me? That was a task you previously only wanted to trust another hero with, right?"

He didn't want to sleep with a furball, but a large beast of a guard was tolerable. And Werner had been on his case about showing therianthropes favor. Motoyasu had plenty of time to think of that pitch while trapped in his room.

The proposal to kill two birds with one stone his its mark. Werner fell silent while he considered it.

On a role, Motoyasu seized the chance to push further.

"No one's taught me magic yet either. Mei offered, but… Anyway, that's also important. If someone _is_ targeting heroes, I'll need every skill I can to counter them, won't I? Since I can't use any weapons and don't have an attack stat, magic is essential."

Hopefully he had affinities that could deal damage…

In Emerald Online… Well, he couldn't use the game to predict things. There were no angels in the game.

"We can conduct magic lessons within the safety of the palace," the turtle said before Werner could respond. "Shield Hero-sama, until we have the Claw Hero back, would you accept only being able to get practical experience with spell casting during your supervised training?"

When he said it that way, it sounded like they were giving a child an inch to calm a tantrum.

So be it. Motoyasu could take the inch for the time being and a mile whenever he wanted. An entire battalion couldn't catch Birdie while she ran through a crowded city after they jumped out a window. They stood no chance of stopping her if she took off at full speed in a crowded field. It was the fear of going hungry again that kept him in place, not the guards.

Now… What else had he wanted to address?

Motoyasu looked to Birdie for cues, and she mouthed out a reminder.

_Poison._

It was still an unpleasant thought, but if whoever poisoned her was still at large, he couldn't ignore that.

"Now if we've resolved your leveling concerns,I'd like to discuss—"

"How did you find the man who poisoned Birdie's food so fast?" Motoyasu asked.

Werner paused before answering. "We were lucky enough to find a witness, and the guilty party quickly confessed. Both he and the one responsible for the curse you were under when you first came to us have been executed, and you don't have to worry about them any longer. Although I don't think 'sneaking out' is the correct term for the chase you gave those men through the city, and if your main concern was Birdie's safety, then I would call into question why you chose to take so many men away from searching for her would-be killer."

"It's because we left that Motoyasu-sama was under the protection of someone who could swiftly deal with the false Claw Hero," Biride pointed out. "We were safer outside the palace than we were with the monster you let in."

"Which is why we are currently correcting our security. Many nations are. We've already sent out a warning to everyone else about the Claw Hero's abduction. Everyone has called their heroes back to verify their wellbeing. Even Melromarc has sured up their borders and placed a closer eye on the three holy heroes they've apparently let thus far roam the countryside without direction."

Motoyasu sat back down on his bed, all ears despite Birdie's frantic waving. "You know what those three are up to? How is Naofumi? What about that bow jerk?"

"Our sources are limited, but both are alive. There are few opportunities for anyone affiliated with heroes to reach them, and thus fewer chances for them to be harmed. Melromarc has been under suspicion from the other world powers since we lost contact with your escorts. The insincerity of their offer to let other nations claim their heroes was a great mistake on their part, and we'll have no shortage of allies when we retaliate. We've already enlisted several. We hope that it will be enough to match the might of Melromarc's heroes."

Good. Naofumi wouldn't be duped, at least. Hopefully if whoever attacked the Claw Hero went after him in a different disguise, it would be while Fitoria was speaking with him.

But the king was a hero? The word _hero_ really didn't mean anything other than 'has a weapon glued to them' in Birdie's world, did it? Motoyasu didn't even want to know what weapon the king had. Something neat and effective no doubt. A useful weapon that would make him feel all the more at ease trashing someone for the crime of being summoned by him with a shield.

How nice, that other kingdoms were going to join in on attacking Melromarc. Those jerks had it coming. All of the except Naofumi (and maybe Ren?) who was at least safer than Motoyasu was for the moment.

"I don't expect to fight Naofumi, but whether Ren fights or not, I don't know if I could manage. You really think you can beat better trained heroes?"

"The current situation is that our Claw Hero is missing and the Holy Hero who came to us has yet to grow his strength—"

"What a shame. How did that happen?"

"—So we've communicated to the other kingdoms that once they've verified the wellbeing of their heroes, we would like their support, both in helping the Shield Hero to get his footing, and in recovering the Claw Hero. Faubrey's Whip Hero has already expressed he's eager to come. He'll be here as soon as Faubrey can give assurance that he isn't an impersonator like the woman who attacked you."

"Good. Although since it's already been decided that I can raise my level with Birdie while your men watch from a safe distance, I plan to 'have my footing' by the time this new hero arrives." Motoyasu leaned back in his bed, doing his best to appear laid back and in control. "It's been a while since I was able to unlock new shields. I'm looking forward to seeing what I might get from the monsters here. For that matter, next time you arrange for me to go out around the city, can you include plans for me to visit weapon shops? The shield has the ability to learn the form of any other shields people make, so I'd like to expand my arsenal that way as well."

"Of course." Werner bowed. "I hadn't realized there was a simple method to improving your weapon. Rather than parade you through stores, we will have the cities smiths loan their shields to us, and pass any new designs they create to you for copying before they go on shelves. _Now if we've resolved all your concerns_, I'd like to discuss your duties around the palace again. Although no large appearances are planned until the entire senate has been approved again, we will resume dinners with those who have undergone the screening this evening. A number of women have also been verified to be safe, so we can offer you more company to help ease your boredom during this security overhaul starting tonight."

Not that Motoyasu was too bent out of shape to hear that could start up again, but under the circumstances, was it really the time? He pulled Birdie closer to himself and said, "I have a roommate until you can verify the palace is completely safe. So I don't think it's appropriate to send me company at night."

"Does your roommate stay with you during your evening bath?"

Good point.

"I suppose then is fine…"

"I'm glad to hear it. Well then, we'll leave you and your roommate to your business. I need to make arrangements for you to receive new shields."

"And select guards for his training," the old turtle reminded Werner.

"Of course. We'll see you at dinner."

Werner walked out the door before looking back and seeing that the old turtle hadn't followed him.

"I had one other matter I wished to discuss with the Shield Hero."

"As the overseer of his care, I can address any matters of concern."

"Werner, you're too greedy," the old turtle said. "The boy's already run away once with your attempts to keep him under thumb. And what do you think the rest of the senate might say if they learn that while you may let him attend public meetings, you bar anyone but yourself from speaking to him privately? I have no interest in undermining your authority. I simply have my own safety concerns to address. We of the genmu are known for our own defensive prowess. This is an area of expertise for me. Would you deny the boy advice from one shield wearer to another when a fake hero so recently tried to take him from us?"

Werner scowled at the argument, but bowed deeply and stepped back. For a moment, Motoyasu mistook the man for listening to a reasonable concern about that security he rambled on so much about.

"Very well. I would hate for rumors to spread that I am unfairly hoarding our hero."

"I appreciate that. Whoever you chose as his field guard. I won't make any suggestions of my own."

The old turtle waited for Werner to be out of sight of the door, and then shut it.

"Off the bed with you. There are plenty of chairs in this room with backs to them, and you'll want that support," the old turtle told Motoyasu. "We're going to have a long chat. Brace yourself."

-o-

A taste tester gave Motoyasu and the old turtle lukewarm tea. Motoyasu sipped it and pretended it didn't suck while the old turtle spoke.

"I don't fault you in the slightest for asserting yourself, but be careful. A Shield Hero who is difficult to control is inconvenient to the senate. In the future, if you want a freedom that Werner is withholding, pass the word on to me. I'll persuade others when possible. The Shield Hero being allowed to level himself up is perfectly reasonable, although there will be furious debate over who has the honor of training you now that the compromise of letting the Claw Hero handle it has collapsed."

Motoyasu gave an affirmative noise to assure the man he was listening, but he was only half paying attention. The old turtle lost him at the instruction not to fight for his own freedoms.

"You were lucky this time. The therianthrope families are divided between a most political factions. Any affronts or favor to them as a whole will be divided between factions as well. If you dangle the possibility of letting guards who prove themselves to you become permanent party members, you might even see some families completely forgive your affront to their daughters."

Was it really that big a deal that he hadn't wanted to sleep with anyone covered in fur? Girls shot him down every once in a while, and he moved on to girls with better tastes. Besides, they weren't talking about dating. He could swallow his disinterest and flatter an ugly girl over a nice dinner date, but the girls they sent him skipped all the chase and foreplay. Complaining that he was choosy in bed was practically like demanding he pay for ugly prostitutes.

"You stayed behind to talk to us more candidly about everything Werner discussed?" Birdie asked. Motoyasu had offered her his lap while they all made themselves comfortable in the chairs, but she had opted for a seat near enough to his that she could reach out and grab his arm instead. "Then was what he said about catching my poisoner so quickly true?"

There was no reason things couldn't run so smoothly. Motoyasu almost said they shouldn't complain about their good fortune in those two criminals being caught so quickly, but stopped himself.

There _weren't_ two criminals. Someone had slipped poison into Birdie's food, but the culprit behind the curse he was under had been himself and his shield. How could they have properly executed the culprit behind the curse when he sat there alive and well and with the shield still attached to him?

They _executed someone_ over the curse? Motoyasu passed up every the chance to explain that it was his own fault, and they _executed_ someone?

The thought would have left Motoyasu reeling, except that came up with a possible consolation. If someone was suspected, they must have seems suspicious, so they were likely guilty of something else. He didn't get a person killed carelessly assuming the truth would come to light. There must have been some other reason the man was guilty.

That kept him calm until the old turtle spoke. "You were right to think it suspicious. With regard to suspects in the attempt to kill you, the likely candidates are anyone in Siltvelt who could wed Motoyasu-sama, anyone in Siltvelt with a relative who could wed Motoyasu-sama, and, less likely, any enemy of Siltvelt who sought to strip our Shield Hero of his talons. It's a longstanding and well known rule that a Shield Hero may take multiple wives. The Shield Hero is our god, and anyone he choses is blessed whether the choice is exclusive or not." The old turtle turned his attention to Motoyasu. "It's a less spoken but still well understood problem that the Shield Hero will favor one woman above all others. The favorite wife can use her position to influence her hero. The senate may make the decisions for the country, but for the common people, the Shield Hero in the flesh holds more power to inspire. Your backing would guarantee public support. Moreover, her position lets her give her opinion on other women who the hero might bring into the marriage, or even to discourage certain women from being granted children. To be the Shield Hero's favorite is a position many would kill for. And you've declared at every opportunity that a certain girl is already first in your heart."

Motoyasu blinked slowly, trying to process all of that. The talk about wives wasn't a subject he liked, but it beat thinking about that other thing the turtle said, so he placed his focus there. Politics weren't his thing, but he was expected to play some sort of role? And letting one woman control which other women he saw? He didn't like the sound of that.

When he didn't respond even to affirm he heard and understood, the old turtle sighed and continued.

"Once you've chosen your first wife, know that most other women who she allows into your bed will be from families allied with her own. Yet even if you have no plans to wed your filolial, your relation to her means any women you do marry will be hardpressed to assert more influence than the girl already beside you does."

"I… um…" Motoyasu looked around as if expecting a door back to Japan to appear. A harem and the assumption that he would take multiple wives was a paradise the likes of which he knew he hadn't _really_ stumbled upon. Those girls sought to gain something from him. He just figured that something was, say, getting to say they had been favored by a Holy Hero, or perhaps some sort of payment by his retainers for keeping him complicit for another night.

Securing his hand in marriage in order to use the religious sway of the Shield Hero to dominate politics was a little larger a play than he expected. _All_ of the girls who tried to sleep with him were gunning for that? And their families would stoop to _murder_ in order to secure that?

"Let me think… Um… Then… So those girls I already slept with…"

"So far you've chosen… Tort, Irilla, Usa, Trish…"

"I-I don't need the full list," Motoyasu said, because that sounded better than admitting that he couldn't confirm anything based solely on girls' names. There had been the bat girl, the lion girl, the… come to think of it, there'd been a turtle girl that things got steamy with in the bath. If he found himself talking to an old man about having slept with her granddaughter, he was leaving.

"I didn't meant to put you on the spot. I'm only trying to recall them all myself. You've hit quite a few political factions across those girls. Each of them is being watched eagerly by their families to see if you gave them a child. There is an expectation in that case that you will wed them, of course, although some families will be happy to say they have divine blood in their lineage even if you do refuse to marry their daughters. Hopefully, it will only be Tort if any girl is so lucky. If you're split between too many political factions, you run the risk of offending those girls' families by failing to forward their interests, but you're certain to make enemies if you side with any one faction, even by accident. Incidentally, even if my Tort isn't pregnant, I would happily back you against any more underhanded factions. I have two other granddaughters as well who—"

Motoyasu threw the nearest window open and put one foot on the sill.

"—My apologies! I'll save their introductions for a later time. For now, I'm sure you care more about learning the full scope of your role as Shield Hero. Past heroes have found it unsavory to learn this custom. Even those who accept it will too often try to take advantage of their situation and make too many enemies. It's become standard to operate around them, but you're not likely to last long at this rate. Shall I walk you through which factions you're dealing with? And don't worry when someone is confirmed pregnant. You're clearly shooting at random, so the families will sort out how this effects everyone's standing. Additional wives are typically those already allied with the favorite, but it's not unheard of to let the Shield Hero marry in a woman from a rival faction in order to secure a political alliance. A particularly valuable deal might even be struck by granting such a rival approval to bear a child, so—"

"Don't makes deals behind my back about me having kids!"

A figurehead who primarily serviced the real powers via political marriage… wasn't that supposed to be the role of a princess? No. He wasn't even a princess. Princesses weren't whored out to multiple nobleman to give each one a son!

"Uurg…" Motoyasu slumped back down in his chair. "I didn't come here to be bred in political deals. I just wanted to be somewhere safe from Melromarc…"

"The solution is simple," Birdie said. "If Motoyasu-sama stops entertaining these other women, there can't be a fight over which women he'll choose."

The old turtle smiled sympathetically and reached out to place a hand on Motoyasu's shoulder. "It's _because_ you've shown no interest in authority and gone along with what's been asked of you thus far that I felt it safe to tell you this. But as for ignoring all those women… Well, if you'd refused them from the start, it might have gone smoother, but even then, there would be families irritated. Now you've set the precedent. My offer to have my family and our allies back you still stands, of course."

By marrying the turtle girl…

Motoyasu bent over and buried his hands in his face. This was still a better than his situation in Melromarc, but it would have been nice if someone told him upfront that he would be expected to _make commitments_ in exchange for the sex!

"I… was told that the previous Shield Hero died suddenly while here…"

"I was a young boy indeed at the time, but I learned about the event. He passed away in his sleep despite having seemed healthy, and it was deemed an unavoidable tragedy. An unknown health issue, completely unrelated to how he had fought with the high families over how this nation enslaves humans," the old turtle said.

So it wasn't just Birdie who was in danger. Suddenly, Motoyasu felt the desire to give his taste tester a hug and buy the man flowers. That brave soul stood between him and a rushed funeral in which a random innocent was killed to pacify anyone outraged over his death.

Wait. _Could_ they kill an innocent just for that? They certainly executed someone for the crime of trying to poison Birdie. How did they chose?

"I don't mean to jump around too much but… If anyone could have targeted Birdie and you don't know who, the man who was executed…"

"Right now, the two most influential members of the government are Werner and Jaralis. It should go without saying that they would agree on a mutual enemy. I don't know either of those so-called criminals, but I have no doubt they're well known to rival factions who those two wanted to send a message to."

"So if one of them tried to poison Birdie and then blamed someone else to cover it up… The two most powerful factions… They could easily hide it, couldn't they?"

"It could just as easily have been a stable hand who knew the cook well enough to get near your meal. It doesn't matter. We all understood the reason Birdie was targeted and the difficulty in narrowing down suspects. The execution was to appease the Shield Hero. If there were any cover up, they would have arranged for the 'culprit' to be discovered before you ever left the table."

That such a possibility could be tossed out casually was not as consoling as the old turtle intended., Motoyasu reminded himself to nonetheless take solace in knowing that the two most powerful factions were not _prime suspects_ in targeting Birdie.

So many threats all at once. Someone was targeting heroes, Melromarc had chased him at least half way to Siltvelt, and now the country he'd been told was a safe haven might secretly assassinate him or Birdie… Werner was hardly any better than that king who called him a demon. At least the old turtle was forthcoming. Motoyasu almost wanted to marry all three of the man's granddaughters to ensure he'd have honest backing. But it might be better to… give up on Siltvelt?

Could he do that? Melromarc still had it out for him, and Siltvelt had publicly stated they were going to war over how he was abused. He didn't know enough about which other countries took what sides on the matter.

…A war being waged over him?

Melromarc and Siltvelt had already been enemies. He was pretty sure Mei mentioned as much back when he she explained why he'd been treated so cruelly. If Siltvelt big shots would use the attempt on Birdie's life as an excuse to execute a political rival, was his abuse a pretense for a war they already wanted?

Also: Did he care?

If Melromarc suffered for having hurt him, how much did it matter if they were hurt _specifically because_ of his abuse, or if his abuse gave people the excuse to hurt that kingdom? Either way, his telling Siltvelt how he was left to starve and beg, cast out in the cold and forced to sleep in a back alley in the rain, contributed to Melromarc's misfortune, then that was enough.

That was right. It didn't matter what Siltvelt did so long as he and Birdie were safe.

He could try and covertly research other kingdoms and make plans to move again, but that would take time. He'd need to navigate Siltvelt with more caution in the meantime.

"I don't care at all about politics," Motoyasu told the old turtle. "What policies you guys are pushing and whatnot doesn't matter to me. I don't even care about my homeland's politics, but I could follow drama alright. So teach me what you know about all the important people's personalities. Whose underhanded or driven or desperate. Who do I not want to cross? Who would make me too many enemies? I don't care what you people do with the power you have. I came here to be somewhere safe. Whatever arrangement keeps me off of hit lists, that's what I'll aim for."

If he busied himself training, he might be able to use that as an excuse to get out of a few potential pitfalls. Showing off how useful Birdie was could also dissuade some from wanting to harm her. Once they had their levels up, he would block whatever attacks came from the Claw Hero's enemies and keep Birdie safe too. So the biggest threat left was Siltvelt itself.

He didn't care to straighten the country out. More specifically, he didn't care enough about its people to risk his life challenging their setup. So he would put _effort_ into playing along for so long as he depended on their support, and then he would leave.

The people he cared about could be counted on one hand, and the only two in Siltvelt had no loyalties to the country.

-x-

**STA:** This chapter involved lots and lots of talk while people sit in a room, and I apologize for that. If it helps, I spent a lot of time combing through it for filler-y lines and it's about 10% shorter than it was two days ago.

* * *

**drmcgraw186:** I think it's less an issue of people liking or disliking it and more that some people don't read it, so it makes elements of this fic seem random. As for Rino, presumably she's going about her daily life as an adventurer without any spear heroes hitting on her and then overlooking when she gets sold to brothels.

**reality deviant:** That's more or less why Sadeena was disapointed. I'm on the fence about whether or not to do a scene with Spearfumi and Fitoria when there's not much for her to exposit to him that isn't already in canon or this fic though.

**Uday Sra:** Thanks


	19. Training Montage

Motoyasu untangled himself from the sheets two mornings later and took stock of his surroundings. Only Birdie still curled up in bed. Good.

Thus far, Werner had abided by the rule of women in the bath but not the bedroom. That made bathing stressful, now that Motoyasu knew that choosing the wrong woman could get him killed. In fact, he'd blue balled himself the past two nights showing interest but not committing to anyone beyond a little fondling. Still, he was nervous. It was one thing to be a stud, but a _breeding _stud who political battles were fought over marriage alliances with was another matter.

He had a strategy worked out to hold him over until he was able to memorize who was and wasn't safe to piss off. Basically, from the sounds of it, the women placed in his company were assorted as a show of fairness to everyone vying for his attention. Certain big shots could get more family members placed in the pool of women he might meet, or could get their daughters selected to see him more often, but on any given night, the women would come from multiple factions. It was easy to memorize which animals were for high-ranking families. If he avoided those animals, or if he gave them the same amount of attention as he did the other girls present, then he didn't get too cozy with anyone who was someone else's powerful enemy.

Sooner or later have to sleep with a girl he wouldn't have otherwise have chosen. At least he didn't have to abstain from sex entirely, but it was disquieting to be told that since you already slept with a couple girls, you had to keep it up or else.

Birdie slept while Motoyasu dressed for the day. Supposedly, enough tightening of security had taken place around the castle for him to resume participation in war talks. Although why they still planned to march him out to war when he wasn't safe to parade around town, Motoyasu had no idea. Still, best not question it.

If he questioned it, they might poison his breakfast.

Once ready, he woke Birdie by hoisting her out of bed and onto his shoulders.

"Hmmn… Why am… Huh!? Motoyasu-sama! I don't need to be carried! It's my job to carry you!"

"Nope. My turn." He twisted to catch Birdie's flustered face in the reflection in the window. Really, she was just too adorable. "We get to go back to eating in the dinning hall today. Are you looking forward to it?"

"I like eating in here with you just fine. If we have to eat with all those officials, they'll monopolize your time and grumble whenever you smile at me."

Because so long as he liked Birdie more than anyone else, their daughters couldn't tell him as easily to manipulate the masses. Well, the joke was on them. Motoyasu would have happily pleased their daughters anyway so long was they were fun to spend time with. Making it stressful and competitive ruined everything. Politics really was the worst thing people ever invented.

"I like not being trapped in a single room," Motoyasu said. "Let's make our appearances and get this matter settled."

Telling a table of Siltvelt big shots that Birdie was number one got her food poisoned. Announcing he knew that someone at the table was guilty would go badly. But Werner seemed mostly okay. He'd only visited the past few days with various other officials in tow, but the next time Motoyasu could speak to him privately, he wanted a candid discussion of the matter.

There was no such opportunity to have that talk at breakfast. Motoyasu didn't even know if he could request a conversation, or if showing possible preference for who he spoke to might get that politician (or himself) targeted. He nodded along to the instructions he was given and thanked his stars that it was mostly plans for his magic lessons to begin that day. Even the argument over arranging for his bath company took a back seat to therianthropes eagerly plotting which of their best fighters should have the honor of watching over him in the fields.

There was only a single complaint of how his cohabitation with Birdie kept him from taking other women to bed, and it was a elephant-like man who shot that gripe down.

"The filolial is our hero's talons. If someone is targeting the heroes, would you rather Motoyasu-sama be attacked while naked with your daughter, or while alongside the monster he is used to fighting with?"

Motoyasu didn't like the way the elephant ever so lightly stressed the word monster, but he appreciated the support all the same.

Best not point out Birdie was an angel. Even if it gave him a stomach ache not to defend her, she was safer if he praised her less.

"Motoyasu-sama, are you well? You didn't finish even a single serving."

"Watching my weight," he fibbed.

After living lean on the trip to Siltvelt, he was still trying to get his weight back up to where he'd been when he was summoned. But saying it like he normally ate a multiple portions made him sound like a glutton.

He nearly starved a few times there. He was justified in reveling in a big meal. And it was totally normal for people to be less hungry now and then.

"If you're worried for me, then may I pack a few things to eat while out in the field?"

As Shield Hero, it was also his job to unlock more shields. It was only because he was testing food-related shields that he stuffed assorted fruit and a muffin into his shield. If that happened to result in two fruity shields and a bunch of fruit and a muffin in his inventory, then what a happy coincidence that was.

-o-

After breakfast, Motoyasu was led to a study in one of the castle towers. There, middle-aged porcupine woman sat waiting for him.

"I'm told you need your affinities assessed."

"Yes…"

In _Emerald Online_, affinities were tied to your class, but Mei had said they were set at birth. This would be another test of how reliable the game was or wasn't. If being Shield Hero followed the same rules as the shielder class, then he should specialize in support and healing.

"My specialty is wind," Birdie mentioned while Motoyasu was situated in front of a crystal ball.

"I know. You saved both our butts with it during the wave. If I have wind too, maybe I'll ask you for lessons."

Birdie's grin was spoiled by the porcupine saying, "You appear to have an affinity for healing. I see some potential for support magic as well."

Well, there was his answer.

"Not much potential but some."

Come again?

"It looks like most of your support abilities will cross over with your affinity for fire."

"Fire!?" Motoyasu perked up. "I can burn things!"

"Motoyasu-sama, it sounds bad when you say that in such an excited voice," Birdie warned him.

"I must agree," Werner said.

"Screw both of you! Wait, no. Birdie, you're forgiven. But you two can attack! If I can shoot fire and opponents, I can back Birdie up in fights. Even when she moves too far out of reach, I can knock down enemies who are about to strike her! Fire magic! I'm rebuilding my stash of potions already, so healing isn't as urgent as being able to fight! Let's start with fire magic!"

"Give me a minute to find the appropriate crystal ball. It's not the most effective way to learn magic, but it's a good way to quickly get the feel. Learning from traditional study will go smoother after that."

"L-like books? Um… My shield translates what people say for me, but it doesn't translate written words."

"Motoyasu-sama, you should have informed us sooner. We could have given you beginning reader books while you were confined for security."

"Ah… Well… I guess…"

It wasn't like he expected his demand for magic lessons to be heeded. Even after Werner told him they'd see to it, after his talk with the old turtle, he doubted every promise Siltvelt made.

"Here we are. If you throw this crystal ball on the floor to shatter it, you should learn First Fireball."

A basic starter spell. It was below his level, but Motoyasu would take anything to be able to dish out damage.

He took the ball gingerly from the porcupine's hands, then hurled it at the stone floor.

The crystal ball bounced once, twice, a third time, and then rolled to a stop at Motoyasu's feet.

"Huh?" Motoyasu picked up the perfectly intact magic orb. "It won't break."

A screen popped up in Motoyasu's vision.

**Notice: The use of offensive magic is prohibited.**

"I can't even use offensive spells!?"

Motoyasu chucked the stupid, useless thing out the window, then paused to wait and see if his status menu changed. The shield already told him the situation, but with how far that orb must have fallen, he still let himself hope.

No new spells appeared.

"I've never heard of someone with an affinity for fire who couldn't use a single offensive spell before. Oh! D-don't worry. There are plenty of fire spells that aren't strictly for combat. We can start with those," the porcupine said. "With your affinities, we can even teach you fire-healing combo spells."

Motoyasu fell to his hands and knees and made no effort to lift his gaze from the floor. "I wanted to attack…"

"Don't despair, Motoyasu-sama!" Birdie hugged his arm tight. "I'll always be here to fight for you! Always!"

Motoyasu patted her head twice before running out of energy.

"Hey, turn into your bird form for me."

Birdie obliged the request before asking, "Why?"

Rather than answer, Motoyasu buried his face in her side and let the warm fluff and feathers keep the chill of despair at bay.

"Motoyasu-sama?"

Birdie made all the bad things feel distant.

"Motoyasu-sama, are you okay?"

"Motoyasu-sama, I'll make immediate arrangements for you to learn magic script. The faster we can explore more fire spells, the faster we can find one to satisfy you."

Whatever.

He didn't even care anymore.

Who needed fire when Birdie already provided all the warmth a man could need?

"Motoyasu-sama, I can still fight for you whether you can hurl fire or not. I promise."

Right. Right, Birdie still mattered, and no fire meant he was less equipped to protect her. He would have to pay close attention to the therianthropes who accompanied him to train. If any seemed reliable, both in terms of combat and in term of abstaining from political assassinations, they could join the party. The more people fighting alongside Birdie, the less risk she took.

Even if relying on others to protect her made him feel even more useless. Like it wasn't enough that her and Naofumi and Mei already carried a useless shielder so far. And all Birdie had gotten from it, as Fitoria had so brutally pointed out, was a low tolerance for pain.

"Healing spells." Motoyasu shoved back from Birdie. "If I can't use combat magic to keep Birdie safe, I can have a healing spell ready for every time I can't protect her. We can start there, and figure out what fire-based support I can use once this magic script stuff is dealt with."

Those lessons could also serve as an excuse to avoid political pitfalls. And if he could read, he might be able to read up on which families were dangerous and which other kingdoms were safe without having to alert anyone to his research.

"I should have a First Heal spell somewhere around here."

Healing was fine. Before being told he had fire, he hadn't expected he'd learn offensive spells anyway.

As long as Birdie came out of all of it alright, he didn't need to care about anything else.

-o-

Leveling went roughly as smooth as magic. Which is to say it didn't go quite like Motoyasu wanted, but he was no worse off in the end.

Over a dozen therianthropes followed him and Birdie out into the fields. A week ago, he'd have directed Birdie to take off running so they could have some privacy. A small group of guards was fine, but with so many, Motoyasu didn't see them encountering any good monsters.

"Can you guys follow from further back?"

"And let harm come to you? If you were to be killed because we couldn't react in time to danger, we'd have to take our own lives to make amends."

It was scary when they said it so matter of fact like.

"Th-then maybe… if I add one of you to my party, that person can stay close and ensure everyone else has time to reach us."

A clamor of offers to be the one to serve closest to the Shield Hero scared off whatever other scrub-tier monsters hadn't already fled.

"Er… Well… It doesn't work if all of you join."

Partying with the wrong family was probably similar to favoring the wrong girl. If only one volunteered then it would be easy, but he didn't want to be killed just for asking the toughest looking guy to stand close.

"How about this. You guys are going to tag along all the time, right? So I'm thinking of a number between one and a hundred. You can all take turns based on whose closest. Birdie?" Motoyasu hid both hands behind his back. "Pay attention to how many fingers I'm holding. You're going to keep me honest. If my palm is facing towards me, that means the number is however many fingers you see. If I have it facing out, it's the number of fingers plus five. Left hand is for tens and right is for ones. Got it?"

"Understood!"

Motoyasu positioned himself so that none of the therianthropes could see behind him and held his fingers out.

"Ready?"

"Thirty-four!"

"Sixty-nine!"

"One!"

Motoyasu took stock of each guard's response, then looked back to Birdie and nodded.

"The number Motoyasu-sama selected is Ninety-eight."

It was not. Or was it? Which hand was the tens digit and what did outward palm mean again? He was so focused on how not to offend anyone that he hadn't memorized his own instructions.

"Well, there you have it. No one guessed, so we'll go in order of who picked the highest number. That means… Um… Wolf-san…"

"I am Ragnar, Motoyasu-sama." The wolfman stepped forward and sent Motoyasu a party invite. "It's an honor to serve you."

Motoyasu accepted Ragnar into the party and looked over what over what information on Ragnar appeared in his party roster.

"Wow. Level 42. But you'll let Birdie do most of the fighting, right? Werner said she and I need more practice working together."

"As you wish. I'll only intervene when a monster is too tough for you."

"Since you have our backs, can we fight things above level 5?"

"That wouldn't do…" Ragnar spoke slowly, as if looking for a way to disagree, but finding none fast enough.

"The more strong monsters we fight now, when I have you here to keep me safe, the safer I'll be when we fight Melromarc."

So they ended up fighting against monsters in the area of level 20. It didn't get Motoyasu or Birdie up a level, but it let them show off their teamwork. Maybe if he pointed out that Itsuki was probably level 50 or even 60, they'd let him train seriously.

Fitoria didn't want him to fight any of the other heroes, but she also wanted him alive, which meant doing whatever Siltvelt wanted. If they pitted him against Itsuki, then he'd have to find some way to restrain or capture Itsuki without killing him. Not killing was easy enough when his attack stat, after all his leveling and shield collecting, sat at a whopping 3 points, but the restraining without dying part would be hard if he was half Itsuki's level.

…Technically, it wasn't going against Fitoria's word if he let Itsuki get a little hurt in the process, was it? Maybe Birdie could kick him into whatever trap they used to restrain him. Or if there was still a level disparity, then he wouldn't risk Birdie. But Motoyasu wanted—just a little bit—to let Itsuki taste what he endured. Maybe after they captured him they could just… forget to feed him? They could forget for three days, maybe.

Next time he got to train, he would be sure to point out the Itsuki situation.

-o-

When Motoyasu returned to the palace that evening, the big lion demi-human who he sometimes saw was waiting for him by the front doors.

Subconsciously, Motoyasu drifted to the left as they walked down the hall towards the man, putting as much space between them as the width of the hall allowed. He was never at the general political slogs that Motoyasu had to sit through, but he was full of harsh opinions during every meeting to plan the attack on Melromarc, and at any meals he attended, he glowered whenever Motoyasu spoke.

"Did your training go well, Shield Hero?" the lion asked as they passed.

"He and the filolial queen are an efficient pair, Jaralis-sama" Ragnar reported. "Motoyasu-sama withstood each monster's attack and was swift in protecting his comrade, while she timed her attacks well to make his work easier."

Jaralis. That was one of the men that the old turtle had told Motoyasu that it will end badly if he made an enemy of. The turtle hadn't thought Jaralis to be much for poisoning, but not above sending an assassin to slit Motoyasu's throat. Motoyasu couldn't recall his exact status, but he had some sort of military sway.

"Thank you for supplying me with support on this outing," Motoyasu mumbled, giving Jaralis a bow.

It didn't matter whether or not Jaralis _had_ picked out his guards. If he hadn't, he could still be pleased to get credit. Motoyasu wanted to give the man no reasons to have him killed off in the woods somewhere.

"Hmph. Think nothing of it."

So his men _were_ among the guards. Motoyasu kept his head dipped to Jaralis couldn't see the color drain from his face. At least he'd been careful in how he dealt with the men.

"Run along, Shield Hero. They've prepared materials for you."

More items for his shield? Motoyasu gave himself a moment to restore a neutral expression before lifting his head.

He recoiled at the toothy grin Jaralis gave him. Like bared fangs.

"You'll need to be strong if you want to survive against Melromarc."

-o-

Motoyasu was still shaken from Jaralis when he arrived a room that he was pretty sure was normally used to hold meetings. Most of the seats were empty, with Werner and an attendant standing against one wall. The table where they had previously sat and attempted to minimize participation in war discussion was covered in a genuine trash heap.

"Yama-sama recalled that your shield can grow from absorbing items in addition to copying other shields and collected whatever materials people wished to donate for you. While we await the shields you described from Zeltobe, this might also be of benefit," Werner explained.

Bless whoever that was. Motoyasu had unlocked a few new shields while out training, but most of what he was allowed to face, he'd fought on his way to Siltvelt as well.. Since Emerald Online didn't allow for random item absorption, he had no sense of what would or wouldn't unlock anything, but in a large stack, he was bound to find something decent

Baring that, he would at least have more scrub-tier shields that he could unlock the passive stat bonuses from by wearing during boring meetings and un-fun things that didn't require his best gear.

Motoyasu set to work. Monster hides. Fur bundle. Old smithing tools. Piping. The _Pipe_ Shield had a skill come with it after so many monsters gave him nothing? Well, whatever. About time he unlocked a new skill. Fur bundle. Fishing net. Fur bundle. Ruby broach. Fur bundle. Fur bundle. Bone of a monster he absorbed before, but look at that. You got a separate shield for bones as compared to when you absorbed the entire monster. _That_ made for a lot of unlocks he missed on his way to Siltvelt. Good things he'd never been a completionist or that would drive him mad. Fur bundle. Rusted coin. Feather bundle… were those Werner's? Cast-iron skillet. Compass. Hand mirror. Another nice skill. He'd have to test that out later. Fur bundle…

"Are demi-humans in the middle of a shedding season, or did everyone clip their hair for this? Actually, forget I asked. I don't want to know."

The worst part was that aside from Werner's feathers, he'd gotten shields from all the demi-human sheddings. If each shield came with the chance of a new skill or passive ability that might improve his and Birdie's ability to survive, he couldn't ignore the fur he had yet to absorb.

If it turned out that a certain demi-human's shield gave better stats, Motoyasu hopes that using it wouldn't be taken as a political statement.

When Motoyasu finished transferring the entire table's contents into his shield, the table filled once more with food, and the usual figures (Jaralis included) filtered in to discuss war plans over dinner.

"We've done our best to mobilize forces without alerting any spies," a man with rat ears said. "Once the Wise King lays out battle plans, we'll have a tougher battle. If we can launch an initial surprise attack with maximum damage, we can cripple their ability to retaliate even with his strategies to aide them."

"Most of our allies are on standby. Some will add to our troops while others have agreed to let us pass through their borders without issue. We'll march straight to Melromarc with no resistance. That wolf has split Faubrey's support, but that their military is split between those abiding by the ridiculous bargain she made queen and those loyal to generals and the Whip Hero will at least keep them from participating in the conflict. Shieldfreeden has also expressed a willingness to attack. They are similarly outraged by the affront to their god."

Motoyasu did his best throughout the discussion to keep his mouth full so he wouldn't have to give any input one way or the other. That, and playing with his food. It turned out there was a Pie Shield. Also, he had two slices of pie now saved in his inventory for later, But hearing that, he dared ask, "Once Shieldfreeden gives a definitive answer, does the war start?"

"Knowing we have their backing for certain would give us solid confidence to march out," Werner told him. "One of our major concerns was getting your level up with the help of the Claw Hero, but that plan… Well, Faubrey has confirmed the Whip Hero wasn't replaced, and he should be here within a day or two. We'll allow you to train as you did today, and if the Whip Hero is among those seeking retaliation from Melromarc, then he may help you as well. Rumor has it he is on good terms with the princess from Melromarc who the queen has sold in order to gain Faubrey's support, so he may side with us in order to prevent the arranged marriage."

A princess? That bitch was used as a bargaining chip? That complicated Motoyasu's own feelings on the matter. If they got support in the conflict from someone who cared for her, then they might be expected to spare her. And if whatever deal Melromarc made was one where her friends were willing to launch a war against her own kingdom to save her, then there might be worth in letting the deal go through.

But that would mean arguing against the war that everyone at the table wanted.

Besides, the bitch princess had been the one to slander him, but she did so alongside Itsuki, and the king denounced him like it was nothing, and the people of Melromarc all watched him suffer and only intervened to throw rocks at him and tell him he deserved it. If the Whip Hero wanted that woman spared, then Motoyasu could practice some political discussion and negotiate that she would only pay _somewhat_ for her actions. He didn't want all other guilty parties let off the hook at his expense just so that woman could face worse consequences.

"I'll do my best, then."

He still had a dozen other things he wanted to say, but was afraid to since talking with the old turtle. Wanting to negotiate with the Whip Hero could be one more thing he bit his tongue on and played subservient about for the moment. Since the Whip Hero was one of the heroes meant to fight the waves as well, even if he didn't like some of Motoyasu's ideas, he was at least unlikely to _kill_ him over them.

-x-

**STA:** I have no author's notes today. Too tired.

**PillowLover3939:** Thank you. Hearing this is one of your favorites makes me blush.

**PatRox:** I think it's volume 15 that Naofumi makes a comment about how Motoyasu could've turned out if he made Myne the subject of his fierce loyalty. I always crave stories that show Motoyasu not having that sort of bad influence, because he's a better guy than a lot of people give him credit for. Not, like, an amazing guy, but better than he gets credit for.

**reality deviant:** I mean, yeah, but my thinking was just that even with those deviations, enough has been shown. Any more would feel redundant.

**Uday Sra:** Thanks.

**Rob Rimsill:** I appologize if I caused you to oversleep. That's an unfair trade off for having you make my day.


	20. The Whip Hero

**STA:** Sorry to be a day late. Wasn't feeling well yesterday. At least it beats a 6 month hiatus and returning with a slower update schedule, right? (Ha... If I hadn't stopped posting and kept going once a week instead of twice a month, I would have had this chapter up by the end of the year. Well, theoretically, anyway. It would have been a very different chapter in that case.)

-x-

The next day passed with more focus on training than political theater. Motoyasu was even able to beg his way into eating lunch alone in a library.

Learning Siltvelt's alphabet and magic writing was _boring_. His wrist was sore from repeatedly drawing out the symbols. But the faster he got them down, the faster he could look up safe nations to slip away to in the aftermath of the war, and the faster he could learn more spells to keep Birdie safe in the coming conflicts. And he would rather be bored than stressed out over political missteps.

He was pretty sure he made one such misstep the next morning. Having dressed for the day and taken note of clothes he discarded before bathing the previous evening with a few dubious spots in need of washing, he pulled Werner aside and asked a question that he knew was risky, but had been compelled to ask nonetheless.

"Does this world have some form of birth control?"

Werner, who had at the time been scribbling down notes based on the previous days training reports on where Motoyasu could grind for exp and when to start teaching him more spells, fumbled with his pen before whirling around to look at Motoyasu.

"What?"

"You know. Like a pill, or condoms. Something that prevents pregnancy. I mean, if you forget every now and then to use it then no biggie, but… Mm… How should I put this…"

I don't want to be tied to a woman whose father might murder me just because I slept with her a time or two?

No.

I'd rather not be baby-trapped in a political marriage?

Too forward.

"I'm not really ready for kids." Or marriage. Or any of the mess that would come with having those things in Siltvelt. "That's a pretty common thing in my world. Getting to know how you feel about people before you settle down and start a family with them. I realize I'm the one who asked to only see a couple girls at a time, but when so many cycle through and I don't see a lot of them again, even getting close to someone is hard, you know? So if I ended up having a child with a girl who it later turned out I'm not happy spending a lot of time with… B-besides, I'm going to be sent out to war soon, right? Imagine how much stress it would put some poor girl under if she found out she was pregnant while I was away fighting?"

Motoyasu noticed that he had both hands splayed out in front of him like a mime feeling an invisible wall, and that he had, in fact, been moving his hands quite a lot more than normal as he'd desperately tried to justify the request in a way that wouldn't end with arsenic in his morning tea.

"I see. The Shield Hero wants to focus on the noble pursuit of protecting our country first and bless our county with divine children once our land is safe. How honorable. Worry not. While most families hope for you to take their daughter as your wife once she bears your child and many dream beyond that of being your first, I can ensure they all provide a proper nursemaid to allow you time to fulfill all of your ceremonial duties."

"I'm assuming you mean first wife, because my first time—Never mind that! Nursemaid or not, I don't want to be saddled down with a bunch of kids!"

"The purpose of the nursemaid is to prevent your children from saddling you down."

"That's definitely not the point!"

"Hm… I see. To bear the Shield Hero's child is a blessing unto itself. The noble houses would happily see to all upbringing of the child if the Shield Hero himself feels ill suited for the task. Ah. And worry not about the war. While he won't allow you to perish, any woman would be blessed to have a child to remember you by."

"That…"

It was certainly a step up, but Motoyasu had experienced firsthand what it was like to have a father who, while capable of reaching out to over the phone, had been physically absent throughout his adolescence. There was a world of difference between growing up with your mother but not your father and having your parents more or less around as a small child only for both to walk away from you as you started middle school, but he couldn't help but liken the two. Even if his parents sent money and took his calls, the part of him that couldn't help but feel abandoned still resented how they put work above him,

He didn't want to be saddled down by children, but he didn't want estranged children who resented his absence either. Besides, all the women he slept with lately were using him to forward their own interest, weren't they? Who wanted a kid anchoring them to someone like that?

"I shall inform the families of these women that they must accept full responsibility for any children. If Motoyasu-sama's wish is to find a wife based on bonds other than that of children, we'll find time once the war is won to let you spend more one-on-one time with women in quiet settings."

"Nonononono! I definitely want to stick with birth control! We can scale back on the women thing for the time being if anyone doesn't like that! I mean, when I come around to the idea of kids, sure." Assuming that happened, it would definitely be once he left Siltvelt. "But for now, no babies! None!"

"I see. Then would success in seducing you be seen as assurance that you plan to revisit these women once you are prepared to provide heirs?"

"Er… I guess so?"

So long as he never felt prepared, he didn't have to make good on that, right?

"I'll do my best to make the necessary arrangements for you by this evening. If I'm unable, it shouldn't be of great consequence to withhold your evening company for today. We've received word that the Whip Hero is already on his way here. Your schedule for this afternoon is cleared to accommodate meeting with him."

"That fast?" Motoyasu asked. Only a few days ago, they still wanted to verify that the Whip Hero hadn't been replaced. "Birdie was bred for racing, and even running here, it took a while. Faubrey must be nearby."

"Motoyasu-sama, we stopped regularly to hunt or train. I rarely ran at full speed as well. You said it was hard on your arm, and several times, your stomach—"

"Right. Got it."

"Faubrey would take time to reach by filolial. I believe the Whip Hero is coming via some sort of airship."

"This world has those?"

Motoyasu had never been _too_ into the airships from games like Last Fantasy, and all flight in Emerald Online involved winged mounts like dragons. But a big ship sailing through the air with dozens of propellers would be interesting to see in person.

"Riding on an airship… That sounds like a pretty great setting for a date. Ah! But Birdie, you would want the chance to be in one too, right?"

"If it's something that Motoyasu-sama thinks is good to do with other women, then of course!"

He'd never taken a girl up in a hot air balloon before, but he'd taken a couple girls to sappy romance movies where couples rode in hot air balloons. An airship seemed like it would have a similar feel to it.

"Siltvelt typically uses dragons for flight," Werner told him, and Birdie immediately recoiled and clutched at Motoyasu's sleeve as if the floor had fallen out from beneath her. "The ships that the Whip Hero travels in seem to be devices of his own making. I'm told the one he's chosen the name 'zeppelin' for the craft he invented to carry himself here."

"Huh."

Zeppelin… They had those back in his world, sort of. Motoyasu wasn't much of a history person, but he was pretty sure those were the extra-large hot air balloons that people stopped using when it one explosed. That was at least more romantic than an airplane, but dying could really ruin a date.

It must have been the shield's translation abilities that gave the device a name he recognized. For a world that otherwise seemed like a feudal fantasy to have technology at that level was too weird. Hopefully his airship lacked the same weakness that the zeppelins that Motoyasu was vaguely familiar with. With the Claw Hero already missing, it would be terrible if another of the Seven Star Heroes were to die in such a senseless way.

Not that Motoyasu was going to test anything out on an ally, but thinking of that, he had to wonder about his seemingly useless fire affinity. Technically, it wouldn't be inflicting damage on an enemy if he instead targeted a vehicle, would it? He didn't see the shield letting him use fire magic to light bombs meant for combat, but if he ever fought an enemy who was in an airship, could he at least ground them using fire?

That would be a test for a time when he could understand a first thing about how fire magic worked.

"Well, whatever he's coming in, I guess I'm going to be locked away with a bunch of boring books until this guy gets here."

"Motoyasu-sama, I'll be there to help you through this."

"It was your request that we take your magic lessons more seriously, Motoyasu-sama."

Well, they should have warned him when he asked for lessons that they would be _boring!_ Magic study in the game meant clicking a book, casting a spell enough times, and then clicking the book again to learn the next tier spell. He didn't expect to spend to much time reading things he couldn't even read properly. It at least cut down on the amount of time he had to spend walking on eggshells, but that didn't make the task itself any more pleasant. Maybe if he had a busty tutor in a low-cut top who would lean over while she helped him work through a sentence, it would be different, but it was only the porcupine woman who came to visit him while he studied.

"Well, I guess it can't be helped."

Unless you used more crystals to fast-track learning.

But that meant more free time to accidentally give someone a reason to assassinate him.

Talk about a rock and a hard place.

-o-

Motoyasu was about to fall asleep reading when the porcupine tapped his shoulder and let him know that the Whip Hero had arrived.

No one had told Motoyasu that he might be able to raise his level by fighting alongside the Whip Hero, but he hoped that would be the case. Surely another veteran hero would be as suitable as the Claw Hero.

With that in mind, he hurried to the grand hall, and studied the new arrivals as he raced along a balcony and then down a flight of stairs to greet them.

The Whip Hero looked about Motoyasu's age. His hair was tied back with a bandanna and lazily cut. If Motoyasu were a girl, he might rate the man a seven. Maybe a six accounting for fashion sense. But hero status had its perks—at least when you were in a country that wasn't a political cesspool. The dozen or so women he brought with him were tens across the board.

"You must be the Shield Hero," the Whip Hero said. The look on his face made Motoyasu wonder if his own looks had been scored.

Well, he didn't dwell on it too much, but he knew he was a ten. It was other men's problem if they took issue with that.

Actually, maybe he was a nine at the moment. He was still growing his hair back out after cutting it to try and keep a low profile. It was finally long enough to tie back again, but still not as long as it had been in the past.

"Motoyasu Kitamura. It's good to meet another hero who we know for sure is actually a hero."

The comment was meant in good faith, but Takt didn't smile at it.

"I heard about the Claw Hero. The remains of that monster… Where are they? I'd like to inspect them, as well as personally commend whoever caught the deception."

"The remains?"

Motoyasu glanced to Birdie, who clung to him and scowled at a young girl standing behind the Whip Hero. Come to think of it, that guy didn't give his name yet. Motoyasu looked around and, failing to find Werner, settled on a random big shot who only shook his head in response. Back down to Birdie. It really wasn't like her to pout like that. Sure, she made that face at girls when they hung off of _Motoyasu's_ arms, but this was clearly one of the Whip Hero's women.

Granted, if most of those women ever felt like switching parties, Motoyasu would happily take someone who posed no political infighting problems for SIltvelt. But he wasn't about to pry them away. For one, who knew if any of them were secretly like Melromarc's princess? For another, the Whip Hero had yet to prove himself scum. Motoyasu honored his fellow men enough to not actively steal women out from under them so long as they seemed to deserve those women. Any girl who would leave her man easily was hardly befitting of the purity of womanhood in the first place.

That girl was glaring back at Birdie, as was another girl in the Whip Hero's party who had wings, although the feathers looked rougher at the tips. Actually, that first girl had a tail. Maybe they were demi-humans of a species that offended Birdie before?

No. Birdie was praised all the time for how cleanly her wings and human features were split compared to winged demi-humans. This new girl couldn't be a filolial with those rough wings, but she might be some other sort of monster.

The key to angels was for any hero to raise a winged monster then? Motoyasu would keep that in mind. Already, the Whip Hero was giving him all sorts of important help.

So he probably ought to answer that question in return.

"I don't know what exactly happened to that monster's body. As for the person who killed it, she's not here anymore," Motoyasu explained. "My companion is a filolial queen, and we caught the eye of another filolial queen as a result. She happened to be on the scene when the fake Claw Hero attacked. Afterward, she left. She had some warnings for the other Holy Heroes. If she can run as fast as Birdie, she's probably halfway to Melromarc by now."

"I see… So that girl of yours is a filolial…"

The look of disappointment pm the Whip Hero's face ticked Motoyasu off, but before he could be scolded for not realizing Birdie's greatness, he explained himself.

"My party already includes a griffon and a dragon. What a shame. Her attack power is definitely lower than theirs anyway, but I couldn't put a cute girl like that beside those two."

"Takt-sama, thank you for making that small sacrifice for our selfishness."

"Takt-sama would naturally put us first."

So his name was Takt?

"You guys must be much higher levels than me," Motoyasu said. "Birdie and I still haven't reached the point where she needs a class-up. Being a hero who can't attack is depressing." Especially when no one would even let you defend. "I'm glad you're here. With someone who can seriously fight monsters, it's like there's an actual hero in Siltvelt. I've felt pretty useless, honestly."

"Motoyasu-sama, please do not disparage yourself again!"

It wasn't even worth guessing which demi-human said that. They'd all started sounding the same to Motoyasu when it came to the subject of himself.

"Oh? You're not that great, huh? Well, lucky you that I'm here."

That was the biggest grin he'd seen since Takt arrived in… No, since _Motoyasu_ had arrived in Siltvelt.

He'd been a little rude at first, but he seemed like he might be a pretty fun guy after all. Anyone with such good taste in women couldn't be that bad. Besides, as they both said, Motoyasu couldn't hold a candle in his current state to any of the other heroes.

"Will you be staying long?" Motoyasu asked. "After what happened with the Claw Hero, it's good to know another veteran hero is here to help."

If Takt and his party caught the culprit fast, then Motoyasu could gently suggest that it might be safe to let him stray further to raise his level.

"I mostly came to meet the only Holy Hero to escape Melromarc, and to find out more about the Claw Hero. If the one responsible for seeing through that illusion fled to Melromarc, that's a hassle. With the current setup, I can't follow that filolial."

"You can't? But you're a hero helping save the world, right? Why would your movements be restricted. W-wait! Don't tell me… That country has it out for more than just the shield?"

"Melromarc has been punished," Said a demi-human with dragon-like features amongst Takt's friends. "Attempting to hoard all for holy weapons and obscuring where the shield went made them many enemies. When your story reached the meeting between nations, that sealed the deal. They already have three Holy Heroes and one Seven Star Hero, so they're prohibited from receiving help from any other nation's heroes. The Seven Star Heroes are even forbidden from entering."

They had a Seven Star Hero from the start and still summoned him? Since he'd have bled out from stab wounds otherwise, Motoyasu guessed he was technically better off for it, but it still irked him to be given more evidence of how that kingdom only wanted to torment him.

"That place really is the worst. Itsuki's garbage, so I get him backing them up, but I still can't believe Naofumi stayed."

"Naofumi?"

"The Spear Hero," Motoyasu explained. "He's great too. He was the one who helped me when Melromarc nearly did me in."

Motoyasu could still remember the taste of those fritters. Nothing he'd eaten since had been so sweet. Or, well… He'd been so desperately hungry at the time that he hadn't noticed the flavor, but the warmth of Naofumi's kindness had been sweeter than any morsel.

"Naofumi was upset with Melromarc too, so I was surprised to hear he chose to stay. I wonder if they're also keeping him from leaving…"

"When you guys launch you're assault, he'll have his opportunity to leave," Takt said. "How about that filolial queen? Would she follow him?"

"Naofumi is the main one she wanted to talk to, right Birdie?"

Birdie looked up reluctantly at Motoyasu and said, "I only have your word that Naofumi's great, but if it's thanks to him that you were able to meet me, then I want to thank him."

"And I'll definitely show you off to him the first chance we get. But I was asking about Fitoria-chan."

Birdie glanced back at the dragon and griffin and muttered, "Mm… She was interested in all of the Holy Heroes, so she's looking for the Spear Hero right now in addition to wanting to keep an eye on you."

The way she said it was more childish than her normal dignified air. Was she pouting? She kept glaring at the two younger girls in Takt's party.

It struck Motoyasu that Birdie's unfriendly behavior was his own fault. He had praised her time and again for her cute angel wings. What he should have done was hammered home her intrinsic cuteness, and how the most angelic part of her was her heart, which persisted whether she was an angel or a bird. Because he hadn't fully laid out for her what made her the indisputable best, he'd caused her to unnecessarily suffer the pain of jealousy. Because of his failings, others might even hold a lower opinion of her, mistaking her intentions towards Takt's party.

If only there was a way to assure her that her wings were more lovely than that griffin girl's without putting Takt in a position of needing to defend his woman's honor.

"I'll look for someone who knows what they did with the fake hero," Takt declared. "As for the war with Melromarc, I heard your taking part?"

"Ah… Yeah. Itsuki's expected to be there, so I have to counter him."

"The other two as well?"

It wasn't like Motoyasu had much time to get to know any of them. He thought back on what he had seen of the heroes summoned alongside him and gave his best guess.

" Naofumi… will do whatever he thinks is right. Whether that means backing a place like Melromarc or coming to our side or even trying to get people away from the conflict, I don't know. Ren doesn't seem like all that loyal of a person. Since the war isn't to do with him, I bet he'll put his own safety first and run away. Given that Ren had roughly the same information as me when he came here…"

As a solo player, Ren might have paid more attention to NPCs and lore. Probably, he knew more than Motoyasu about where it was safe to run to.

"Well, I guess any place that's good for laying low. Um… Zeltobe's black market, maybe? I wouldn't want to live somewhere so seedy, but I bet it would match the aesthetic Ren was going for."

"Is that so?" Takt gave Motoyasu a grin and a half-wave as he walked away. "Well then, we'd better get your level up enough that you can survive Itsuki. There's no war to bring the Shield Hero retribution if the Bow Hero shoots you down as soon you cross the border now, is there? I'm eager to meet the other heroes, so I think we can both help one another out."

-o-

Motoyasu didn't see Takt again that day. Nor did he see any women during his evening bath. He did, however, see Werner in a chair waiting for him when he returned to his room. An old, rat-like demi-human sat beside him.

"This is Varbeno-san. He's a master class apothecary. He was recommended to me by one of our fellow senators."

Motoyasu gave the man a bow. As a hero, he shouldn't have to show respect to random strangers, but only useful heroes like Takt could strut around the palace as if he owned it. Useless shielders were just heroes in name who had to be mindful of how people read their intentions.

"My son sits in on war talks with you," the old demi-human said. "He found it admirable that you wanted to be responsible and risk leaving fewer people behind, although we won't let any harm befall you on the battlefield."

From what Motoyasu had gleaned of Siltvelt politics, the old apothecary was likely a former senator. The nation called itself a democracy in which each race had a representative, but certain races held most of the power, and certain families within those races—particularly among the more influential—ensured their children took their senate seats when they retired. That being said, rats weren't on the short list of animals he'd been told were the real political forces when the old turtle gave him a quick overview of who to worry about.

So he didn't worry while he took two vials from the apothecary's hand.

He intended to set both by his bedside as soon as the conversation ended and Werner and the apothecary left. Instead, he found himself standing idle while both stared.

"Um…"

"The potion is to be taken as least an hour before intercourse. It should hold for half a day after."

"But I already bathed."

"Then you'll be fresh for your—"

"Given your concerns, I asked that your guests wait until the potion was ready. Since we postponed until nightfall, I also arranged for the room next door to be readied for your filolial. Rest assured, these walls are more than thick enough. The Whip Hero is also staying in this hall, so Birdie will be safe. You are also free to visit her whenever you are done with your other guests. Everyone is alright with this arrangement. With all of these concerns addressed, would it be acceptable for you to have company in the evening regularly?"

"Um…"

There had to be some catch. But refusal to go along might upset the wrong family.

Birdie scowled where she stood, clearly not alright with the arrangements, but saying nothing when she understood the risk that defiance posed. Motoyasu had to be mindful of that risk as well.

"Sounds great."

Motoyasu uncapped one of the vials and downed it. It was almost flavorless on top of resembling water, but it burned down his throat and felt like a dying fire in his stomach.

He really hoped that wasn't a deadly poison meant to punish him for not playing along enough.

"Mind if I keep the vital? It's handy for any potions my shield synthesizes."

"By all means."

Motoyasu dropped the vial into his shield. He'd already unlocked a shield along those lines going through offerings the other day, so the vial went into his inventory without issue.

"Excellent. Onto the next matter. The Whip Hero has agreed to assist you in training. He believes he can get your level up to at least 50 before we march in two weeks. He'll participate in the next wave and monitor our forces on our way to Melromarc, but won't participate in the battle under the current rules restricting Seven Star Heroes."

The next wave would be in almost two weeks… So that was the only hold up. Motoyasu had wondered if he would stay for it or not.

"I'll do my best to get my level higher still. And have more spells… more spells in my arsenal by the time the wave hits."

For a second there, it felt like someone lit a keg of oil inside his stomach, but as soon as the feeling came, it faded. He _really_ hope it wasn't poison. But even the earlier discomfort was fading fast.

"We're honored to have such a diligent Shield Hero." Werner bowed to Motoyasu. "Well then, I'll take my leave. Your company for this evening will be informed that they can see you in an hour."

Motoyasu waved for the two, making no attempt to mask that he was eager for them to go.

The rat looked back to smile at him before shutting the door.

That had been poison. Definitely. Motoyasu could feel it burning its way through his gut.

"Motoyasu-sama, I want to continue sleeping with you."

"And I want you not to be assassinated. This is just for a little while."

As Takt had pointed out earlier, a hero held captive by a country would have an easier time slipping away in a war. Assuming they lived long enough for that.

"I guess we only have so long to spend together this evening then… Ah! That's right! Birdie, the number one most important thing I need to tell you is this: You're way cuter than that other girl with wings."

"Motoyasu-sama!"

Birdie clasped her hands to her chest and leaned forward with tear-filled eyes.

"I needed to make sure you knew that. Your wings are white and cute and immaculate. Her wings could never compare. Besides, she seemed totally hostile, didn't she? Like the kind of girl who would pick on other girls." Like Ikuyo. Actually, like a lot of past girlfriends of Motoyasu's who caused strife within his group. "A huge part of your charm isn't just your angelic cuteness, but your angelic nature. Absolutely no girl can ever beat you when it comes to that, understood?"

"Yes, Motoyasu-sama! I understand!"

Perhaps Mei might have come the closest. His day to day interactions with her had been nowhere near Birdie's level, but he couldn't forget her sacrifice.

Motoyasu plopped down in one of the plush chairs in his room and let Birdie make herself comfortable in his lap. An angel like her deserved it. Besides, he had to really make it clear to her that she was the best. Especially before he had to leave her for some inferior woman. Or died. He didn't want to leave Birdie wondering if she was loved enough either way.

"Those girls aside, what did you think of Takt?"

Birdie fidgeted in Motoyasu;s lap, and he bit down hard on his cheek. They'd slept curled up with one another in bed since the fake Claw Hero was discovered and it hadn't been a big deal, but he was all to aware in that moment of her butt shifting against his legs.

"He should be praising you, not the other way around."

"Well, he can deal damage. I had to force you to fight for us to get by."

"I could fight everyone, if that would make you happy."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Motoyasu gave Birdie a head pat and smiled down at her while tossing out those words. Asking Birdie to help him raise his level was one thing. Putting her in danger by making enemies out of humans or demi-humans for her, he didn't want. When they marched on Melromarc, she would accompany him so he would have a an ally nearby, and so when he took his leave, she could leave with him. For any battles he had to fight while looking for the right chance to escape, she wouldn't participate. He would block whatever attacks he could, and Siltvelt's soldiers would handle the dealing of damage.

His hand shook slightly, and Motoyasu retracted it.

Maybe whatever he took was making him feverish? His face was getting hot. Actually, everything felt hot. He might ask for a doctor, except if Siltvelt was fed up with him then why bother? Best keep Birdie happy as long as possible.

"When we get to Melromarc, I wonder if we'll run into Naofumi again. I really want to show you off to him… Ah. That reminds me. How did you know Fitoria hasn't found him yet?"

Birdie pointed to her cowlick. "Fitoria-san is able to communicate with me through the queen's mark I was given. I didn't want to say it in front of that dragon and griffin."

"Oh. So when she finds Naofumi, can I talk to him through you two?"

"You finally lost interest in all those other women, but I'm starting to think Naofumi is my true rival."

It was getting hard to focus with the heat building beneath his skin, so Motoyasu thought he must have misheard Birdie.

"What was that?"

"Forget it. Fitoria-san told me she hasn't found the Spear Hero yet. Apparently he teleports a lot, and she hasn't figured out where he goes each night. She's trying to track his movements during the day, but I guess those are erratic."

Teleporting! Motoyasu knew the item you used to unlock that skill in Emerald Online, but it hadn't been among the offerings he absorbed the other day. He should have asked Werner for sand from the dragon hourglass.

"I hope she finds him before—Sorry!"

Motoyasu shoved Birdie from his lap and grabbed a pillow to put over his crotch. Hopefully she hadn't felt anything poke her. What the hell kind of poison _did_ that?

"Motoyasu-sama, what's wrong?"

"J-just… that potion's making me feel hot. It should settle down by the time that rat-guy said it would take full effect, but it's a little uncomfortable at the moment. Sorry. I'm really sorry. That didn't hurt, did it?"

"No… Is there anything I can do?"

"It's fine. I… Oh. I left the second vial on the bedside table. Can you bring it here?"

If he stood up, he'd have to awkwardly hold the pillow against him while he walked.

Birdie grabbed the vial for him. He'd asked for two claiming he wanted one as a backup for surprise encounters while hoping he could let his shield have one. Since he already had other compounding recipes unlocked and in progress, one dose might be enough for his shield to give him the recipe as well. Then he could pretend to back off of wanting birth control while still secretly taking it to keep Siltvelt's elites from getting frustrated with him. Although if he'd been poisoned, then any smart assassin would put the actual potion in the spare vial to make it harder for people to prove what they'd done

He dropped the potion, vial and all, into his shield and blanched at the message that appeared.

**Aphrodisiac Shield**

**abilities locked equip bonus: stamina 3**

**Status enhancement: none selected**

He _had_ at least unlocked a new recipe on top of that. Motoyasu flicked through his menu with a shaky hand to pull up the new potion he could compound.

Child's Potion, the recipe read. A potion that could boost fertility or virility, and acted as a powerful aphrodisiac.

Was it too late to say he didn't want to be visited by any women after all? It couldn't have been fifteen minutes since he took the potion too. How much stronger would the effects get before they fully kicked in?

He'd rather Siltvelt slipped him arsenic.

-x-

**STA: **You might be thinking: Wow. They basically gave him a date rape drug. That's horrible. And I agree. This story just went into a bit darker of territory than I initially expected it to. But don't worry. Or all the Shieldyasu fanworks I've seen that address the fact that Siltvelt wants their Shield Hero to make babies, this is only the second most fucked up scheme I know of. I originally had a minor plot thread set up about which politicians were actually involved in this versus which seemed involved but had no idea (and which weren't even remotely involved) but I decided I actually don't care that much. I mean, I think this chapter was the first time I assigned a name to someone involved in all the political fuckery that wasn't already in canon.

Anyway, Takt time! Since he shows up so early in the loop where Naofumi goes to Siltvelt, it seemed like a given that he would attempt to meet Motoyasu early here as well. But then I ran into a problem of... well... _Takt_. Purefumi survives Takt all part of the Takt plot because he has an OP time-traveling Motoyasu with endgame states to place through everything for him, and shieldyasu sorta lacks that. I already spent Fitoria having her play the role of spin-off Motoyasu murderifying whatsherface Takt's illusionist harem member. (Tulna? Can't be bothered to look it up for an author's note.) So that left me with no great plans for who could take on Takt himself. I mean, I could have left Motoyasu with Fitoria for safety, but then Fitoria would probably be the one who murders him.

Takt ended up being what got me invested in this fic again. His spin-off appearance is fairly brief, what with Motoyasu killing him the moment he recognizes the guy and all. But in the time this fic was on hiatus, the main story LN that covers Takt came out. It gave me a much better sense for his character. Originally, my plan for how to deal with him was "maybe just have Motoyasu blow of meeting him repeatedly because Birdie hates his dragon and girffon, and he'll get tired of waiting and decide to kill Motoyasu some other time?" Which is a dumb idea and should tell you how stuck I was. But hearing about why he took the attitude towards the other heroes that he did and that I had created a Shildyasu who thought very little of himself as a hero and envied heroes who could deal a lot of damage, I was like "Oh shit. I can really work with this." It helps that Takt is kind of written in the LNs as "What you'd get if Motoyasu had a worse ego and no consideration for others instead of being well intentioned but oblivious on the occasions where he does harm." Makes it a lot easier for an oblivious guy like Motoyasu to find common ground to get along with Takt.

This also meant the Takt plot evolved from "Throwaway gag that maybe stretches into two chapters. Three if I'm committed." to "This is going to become a more and more prominent plot thread and take up way more of the fic than I ever imagined when I started off."

* * *

**Lq840i:** There are plans for the queen to get involved eventually, although of all the characters who I've considered for POV use, she's not one of them.

**Uday Sra:** Yeah... I actually don't know how to reply to that one.

**tarious123:** He's certainly on the move a lot earlier than in the main timeline. Good thing it's only Motoyasu who left Melromarc's borders and there's no event for which Motoyasu is essential in triggering that might drive the other heroes to either march past that border or else flee to another location for a prolonged and easy to estimate time.


	21. Readying for War

Motoyasu never made it to Birdie's room. Until that potion wore off, Motoyasu hadn't been able to stop himself, and then he'd been too exhausted to do anything but lie in bed with the two women he'd wound up with.

He untangled himself th e next morning from sheets and limbs and studied himself in the mirror before dressing for the day.

Even when he got drunk at parties, it was mostly his own bed that he woke up in with someone he barely knew. On the rare occasion where that wasn't the case, Motoyasu had been decent at finding his things. Although he'd abandon such moral scruples since learning not all women were angels, Motoyasu had once thought it only decent to stay for breakfast. Hanging around rather than slipping out while a girl was still asleep meant time to clean yourself up and search for your clothes on top of getting brownie points and a free breakfast. He always returned home at a decent hour, clean, with no hints that he had gotten drunk and had to

That was all to say that Motoyasu had never done a walk of shame before, but in that moment, he looked like someone in the midst of one.

He dressed himself and wondered if he could ask to wash off, but he would end up approached by more women in the bath. The potion hadn't acted like that rat claimed it would at all, but he definitely didn't want to find out if the part about it lasting twelve hours was true.

When Motoyasu stepped out of his room, his hair was still disheveled. He could comb it with his fingers while whichever guard was outside his door escorted him to Werner or breakfast or wherever he was supposed to be for the day. After all, what was he supposed to do, if not ask how high when Siltvelt told him to jump?

It wasn't a demi-human guard, but Takt waiting with a flat expression outside Motoyasu's door.

"I heard you had quite the evening."

With how close their rooms were, Takt might have heard in great detail. Werner's claims of thick walls aside, that potion had been potent.

"Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Takt all but rolled his eyes, and Motoyasu died a little inside. He really had been too noisy, hadn't he? And after Werner moved Birdie to the bedroom next door, no less. She must have spent the night in tears.

"Siltvelt has quite a few fine women," Takt said. "Don't think you can hog them all to yourself."

Motoyasu looked both ways for eavesdroppers, then leaned in and whispered to Takt, "Any that you pry off of me, you're welcome to."

Those girls were all interested in him only for what they stood to gain politically. Barely a step up from Melromarc's princess. He was willing to bet a few even knew about the potion. One of the women still asleep in his bed had the same rat-like ears and tail as that dammed apothecary.

"Is that so? Then I'll help myself to the cream of the crop."

If Takt had as good of taste in the looks department as his party suggested, then… Well, most of the women were lookers, but fingers crossed he'd take away a couple of the ones who had dangerous families and enemies. No one could blame Motoyasu for neglecting them if they chose someone else.

All Motoyasu could do was try not to give anyone a reason to kill him and hope for the best. With that in mind, Motoyasu knocked before peeking into Birdie's room. It wasn't as decorated as his and lacked the plush chairs for guests, but it was roomy and comfortable looking, and Birdie was half-asleep on the bed in her filolial form.

"Breakfast time," Motoyasu, who had yet to check the time, said.

"Aaah! I'll be ready in sixty seconds!"

So cute. Motoyasu could spend his whole life watching Birdie scramble out of bed and struggle to shake off her sheets.

"Forget that." Takt pulled Motoyasu away from the door. "We're raising your level today."

"But I'm supposed to meet with—"

"The body of that illusionist is being prepared for me to transport this afternoon, so we're getting your training over with now."

...Well! That settled it. No helping it if those were the Whip Hero's orders. No one could be mad if he was only following instructions.

Besides, if Motoyasu saw Werner or that war-rat before getting a bath, he might try and strangle them.

Motoyasu and Birdie followed Takt down the halls, breezing past guards and other palace occupants who stared as their Shield Hero broke routine. By the time they reached the palace doors, self-consciousness had overcome Motoyasu's anger over the previous night, and he had frantically tied his hair in a ponytail that didn't fully obscure his bed-head.

"Do you have a portal skill?" Motoyasu asked once he and Takt were outside.

He lacked one himself, but in-game you couldn't use portal skills inside buildings. Since Fitoria verified for Motoyasu that such skills existed, it seemed safe to assume until proven otherwise that the skill worked similarly to how it did in-game.

"None of the locations I registered will work for training you. The aircraft I brought is too large to be worth taking only three people as well. But that's fine. There's somewhere pretty close that we can go for now."

"You need to be back in time to study the fake Claw Hero, right? Birdie?"

"Understood!" Birdie transformed into her filolial form and shifted her wings for easy mounting. "Normally my back is reserved for Motoyasu-sama, but I have enough room for two people. I won't be able to run as fast, but we can get there faster if I carry you."

Motoyasu climbed aboard before looking at Takt, who regarded Yuki as if she were an oversized crocodile.

"Do you want to be in front, or in back? I've never ridden a filolial with two people before, so I don't know if it would be easier to hold onto her or me. We're in your care for this trip, so whichever you prefer, I'm fine with."

"Riding filolials? I suppose not everyone can figure out how to build a real vehicle. If you ever come to Faubrey, I'll show you some of my tank designs."

Who would want to ride in a tank? The soldiers in movies who used those always looked gritty, and the tanks blew up constantly.

"Motoyasu-sama, even though I wouldn't use it when running at full speed, I'd still like to have a carriage. Then it would be easier for me to transport multiple people."

"I'll keep that in mind."

If Motoyasu had any reservations about leaving Siltvelt, they were gone after the previous night. A carriage that served as a mobile home like Birdie suggested was a high priority. He would pitch it to Werner as a means of transport while they marched to war, so he could have it ready when they fled.

"I have a small plane ready for us," Takt said. "Your fillolial will have to use her humanoid form in order to fit. Both of you stay away from the controls. If someone so low level tried to fly it, it would take us all day to reach the hunting grounds.

-o-

Perhaps after spending a few months in a fantasy world, Motoyasu had forgotten how fast vehicles back home traveled. Takt's plane sped over Siltvelt at a rate that made Motoyasu's heart race. Riding on Birdie, it might have taken days to reach the spot where they landed, and she had been able to outrun Fitoria's flock.

Motoyasu managed not to get motion sick until the end. When the plane landed, it rolled what felt like five bumpy miles in five seconds before coming to a halt. He staggered out onto the ground, and thankfully had no breakfast to lose.

"I hadn't thought the Shield Hero would have such a weak constitution. The way I heard it, being sturdy was your specialty."

"Never flew much back home…"

"Oh? They have beauties like this in your world?" Takt patted the side of the plane.

He sort of reminded Motoyasu of a military otaku. The sort who geeked out over war machines and gun designs. On the social ladder of otaku types, Motoyasu ranked those one rung above train spotters. But from what he heard of the Whip Hero, this man was an inventor more than a fanboy.

"Nothing like this work of art," Motoyasu fibbed with the best smile he could manage.

One of his few male friends was in an engineering program. Motoyasu learned that a lot of generalized compliments that he could give when critiquing _actual_ art from classmates could be similarly flattering on his buddy's blueprints.

The lesson translated well to the fantasy world. Takt swelled with pride and told him, "Maybe I'll show you a few more of my babies before you head out to fight Melromarc. But first, let's lift your level out of the 'pathetic' range."

He poked at the air in front of him, and a message appeared in Motoyasu's field of vision offering for him and his registered pet to join Takt's party.

"I really appreciate that you—_What?_ How is your level this high? I didn't realize you could go over 100! Does anything even pose a challenge for you? Your stats must be insane!"

Motoyasu knew Takt had to be at least 20 levels above him, since that was the cut off for when you couldn't tell what level a person was. At most, he'd figured Takt could be 60-ish levels over him. That they had a several-hundred level difference made Motoyasu anxious. If that was the level a hero needed to be, then how was he ever going to reach it?

"Most people are stuck at 100, but heroes don't have level caps," Takt told him.

Another reminder that _Emerald Online_ was more a list of suggestions and gave no hard and fast rules about the world he was in.

In the game, most battleable NPCs were scaled to be about 10 levels above nearby monsters, and that would be relevant information to confirm if he was about to go to war with a starter kingdom.

"I'm still pretty new to this world, you know. How long does it take most people to reach 100?"

Takt snorted. "Most don't reach 10. You wouldn't believe how many _soldiers_ never reach the point of getting a class-up ceremony."

That was a relief. Siltvelt could be weak against Melromarc for all Motoyasu cared, but he needed to stand up to Melromarc's army. The only concern then would be Itsuki and possibly Ren.

"Birdie's almost to the point that she can class-up."

"Fuel's difficult to manufacture, so I'm not flying back just to perform a class-up on her. If she gets stuck at level 40, then she'll have to continue leveling up later. Your the main one who needs their level up today."

If jet fuel was an issue, then it made more sense to Motoyasu to take a dragon. Although it had been easier to get Birdie into a plane than it would be to get her on a dragon's back.

Motoyasu switched out to his best shield so he could offer Takt some semblance of support, but he never had a chance to show off. Even when he tried, Takt only snapped at him for getting in the way. He and Birdie hung back while Takt struck dragons with his whip, leaving deep gouges that instantly killed their targets. By lunchtime, Motoyasu's level had risen to 48. Birdie, sadly, was stuck at 40.

They both sat quietly in the back of the plane on the return trip. Birdie was unused to someone else attacking for Motoyasu, and humbled by how much more effective Takt had been. For Motoyasu's part, he again wondered if there was any point to him having been summoned. A Seven Star Hero whose weapon was supposedly weaker than his own had made short work of any and all targets they encountered. Could the waves ever reach a point where power greater than what Takt possessed was needed?

They landed back in Siltvelt and parted ways. Takt left to collect the false Claw Hero's corpse while Motoyasu took Birdie to the Dragon Hourglass for a class-up. A little pestering of the priests who had been cold to their Shield Hero when he first visited the church under the pretense of being Birdie's servant, and all argument that custom demanded a great celebration for a class-up presided over by the Shield Hero fell to the wayside. The cowlick imparted on Birdie messed with the ceremony, but it was no great concern. If Motoyasu had been provided the insane stat boost it offered alongside a list of options normally present for a class-up, he'd have picked that option anyway. Double strength, double speed, and double everything else as well. That would go a long way to keeping Birdie safe in combat.

With that settled, Motoyasu returned to the palace, whereupon it turned out that him leaving with Takt had _not_ been cleared with Werner or anyone else.

"I only followed instructions," Motoyasu grumbled as he was led to a late lunch.

"Then we'll provide you a list in the future of who all can be trusted to impart instructions."

Control freaks.

Whatever. Motoyasu would just let it slide. All he had to do was whatever they said. He didn't care if they dictated his schedule and ran his life. He didn't care if he had to nail women he wouldn't have otherwise picked in order to pacify the right politician. He didn't even care if they drugged him such that he wound up with a dozen children who he never had the chance to meet.

He cared an itsy bitsy bit about the notice that his Shield of Acedia had leveled up, but so long as he didn't use it, then he didn't care _that_ much.

Actually, technically, if he used it, he wouldn't care at all.

A rat-like man smiled at Motoyasu as he took a seat at the table. Motoyasu smiled back even though his stomach twisted at the sight. He did his best from there to avoid eye contact and offer no contributions to the discussion that unfolded. only answering questions when asked. Even if no one was pleased with him having disappeared like he did, they were at least pleased with his level increase.

"Our spies report that the other heroes levels are higher still. If we truly intend to pit Motoyasu-sama against them, then we'll need to be more aggressive in raising his level."

"He's already out-leveled half our soldiers, and the Whip Hero left as soon as he obtained that phony's body to study further. We would put him at too much risk if we let him face more dangerous monsters."

So Takt already left, and without having had the chance to say goodbye. Regrettable, but it meant fewer chances for further ego bruising.

"What about the upcoming activation event?"

"Cal Mira is controlled by Melromarc. If we conquered their ports, we could force the islands to take Motoyasu-sama, but we can't make use of that _before_ he leads us in this war."

Birdie nudged Motoyasu's side and mouthed the word 'Naofumi' at him, and he shrugged in response. For the sake of getting his level up, the more heroes Siltvelt expected to fight, the better.

"We are all forgetting that Motoyasu-sama is the _Shield_ Hero," argued one man with a turtle shell. A relative of that old turtle's, no doubt. "I don't want to see harm come to him any more than the rest of you, but he is a specialist at withstanding attacks, and his talons are ready to fight for him even if our own soldiers lack the devotion to fight more dangerous foes. We would be wise to let him near more powerful monsters in the nest few weeks while we finish preparations to march."

"The Whip Hero has already taken his airship with him, unless Motoyasu-sama can coax his _talons_ to ride a dragon, we have no swift transport that would enable him to reach any regions with monsters at a level suitable for training while still enabling him to return to the capitol in time for his various ceremonial duties each day."

Then stop making me perform those duties, Motoyasu wanted to say. But it wasn't worth picking a fight over.

"Jaralis, you oversee most of our high-level fighters. Surely you have men to spare," the turtle argued. "You could even train Motoyasu-sama yourself. I'm sure that so much personal time would be beneficial, and your could review military plans with him to compensate for any meetings he might miss."

The lion glared at the turtle, but it was the rat who spoke up in opposition. "Don't barter away that level of influence without everyone else's approval. Since when did the Genmu align themselves with those muscle-headed upstarts in the first place?"

"No one is bartering Motoyasu-sama or influence," Werner said. "The point of level disparity is an important one, but there are still traditions to uphold. We will look into importing monsters for Motoyasu-sama to train against. Jaralis, I have noticed that a number of your men are on standby to march rather than helping with supplies. You could spare a few while also providing them with last minute training by assigning them to capture these monsters. In the meantime, Motoyasu-sama, don't trouble yourself with worry over this conflict. We will ensure that all goes smoothly."

"Got it."

Why trouble himself at all? If he didn't disappear before they reached Melromarc's border, then surely he could slip away in the chaos of battle.

Motoyasu almost let the meal pass without any voluntary input, but as servants gathered up his plates and political big shots excused themselves to return to their duties, Motoyasu remembered something and grabbed Werner's cloak.

"About travel arrangements… Is there any chance a carriage could be made for Birdie to pull? I had to sleep in the dirt my whole way from Melromarc's border to here, and a carriage outfitted as a mobile living space would make for a more comfortable triumphant return."

"We'll have each of our best carpenters on the task at once. Surely at least one will make a carriage worthy of you."

"Please just pick the best one for me," Motoyasu said. He didn't need political ramifications behind carriage selection as well.

From there, the day fell back into its usual routine. Motoyasu studied and endured more discussion over dinner, and was amazingly left alone in the bath.

A tonic in the same vial as the last two waited for him on a silver platter by his bedside. Motoyasu pulled the stopper out and, seeing no potted plants to dispose of the contents in, drizzled the tonic instead into his shield.

**Unproductive Shield**

**abilities locked equip bonus: defense 1**

**Status enhancement: none selected**

First off, The Holy Shield, treacherous as ever, displayed unrepentant Siltvelt favoritism. That ought to be called the Responsibility Shield. Motoyasu did not deserve to be shamed while attempting to take proper precautions.

Second, why _now_ give him the right tonic?

Motoyasu balked at the description of the item absorbed and the recipe unlocked. This time, he'd received the real protection he requested. Synthesizing his own was the safest bet, but where did half those herbs come from?

A hand sliding up his arm and beneath his shirt pulled Motoyasu's attention from his menu.

The girl caressing him was familiar. It had been a while since he'd seen her, but her turn must have come again.

Tort. The old turtle who first told Motoyasu about how he would be used for political marriages and breeding had a granddaughter named Tort, and this was her.

Motoyasu had retained only a broad overview of political factions, talking note more of which races were dangerous to offend or safe to favor than who allied with who or what they stood for. But be recalled the old turtle's own stances, which must have placed them on an enemy faction of the war-supporting rats.

So that was why they finally gave him the real birth control.

Because he waisted his tonic on his shield, it would be yet another night were he might get a girl pregnant, and Motoyasu didn't care. Her couldn't even be bothered by the risk of retaliation when he cupped a hand under Tort's chin and kissed her until he needed air. Signaled with his devoted attention to her that the other girls behind her need not bother, even though one was clearly a relative of Jaralis.

Come morning, he would ask for access to all the potion ingredients he could get in order to make his own tonics. Until then, if they only cared about his wishes when it was convenient to then, then he didn't care about the wishes of anyone in Siltvelt either.

-x-

**STA:** I'm not 100% satisfied with this chapter... but I am very, very excited for the next one.

**reality deviant:** I-I mean... Reprise!Takt also shows up acting friendly and then takes his first day in Siltvelt to focus on Tulna's remains. Besides, I promise he's a serious issue! He's not murdering Motoyasu as fast as he tried in Reprise because Motoyasu wasn't directly responsible for Tulna's death and also some other reasons that are lowkey spoilery for either this fic or the LNs, but he's definitely gonna be a serious issue.

**Uday Sra:** Do you mean like the chapter is good, or that it's good that I have no idea how to respond to you?


	22. A Safe Place to Hide

Nothing was going as it should have.

In isekai anime, the hero had the easy life. Everyone praised him for how cool he was, and he defeated all his enemies effortlessly. Even if he hadn't done well back home, he found new confidence and strength in the fantasy world, and thrived.

Ren Amaki was not thriving.

Right from the start, he felt none of that confidence that was supposed to accompany isekai heroes. He never knew what to say to his party, and it was easier to send them off to do their own thing than to have them around where he might be expected to converse. At the same time, spoken language was translated for him but not written. He needed a member from his party with him whenever it was necessary he read anything.

He raised his level and followed all the enhancement methods form _Brave Star Online_, yet the king kept telling him he wasn't strong enough. Even though he raced after the bosses of each wave, the second one hadn't appeared where he expected. They barely beat it when it did appear. Naofumi scolded him like a child after both waves for neglecting to protect the nearby villages too. If he cared so much, then he ought to protect them himself… was what Ren wanted to say, but Naofumi had already brought soldiers with him for that purpose, and even sent his demi-human party member to join in the fight on the ghost ship while he focused on the villages in harm's way. And it that non-hero whale-girl that fought back the fan-woman who then attacked them until she fled.

That wasn't easy victory or praise for cool heroics. That was struggling to survive.

Even their side adventures were a mess. Ren had been praised at first for slaying a dragon, only for the church to turn around and command him to slay it when it rose again as a zombie. The official story was that the zombification and the plague it unleashed on the nearby town was the work of agents from Siltvelt, but the glowing stone in its chest that Ren had to shatter to finally kill it for good was an item he recognized from the game as having that effect on dragons. His party seemed none the wiser, but he'd quietly absorbed all of the shards into his sword before anyone who recognized them could realize what happened.

He wasn't hiding signs of his own guilt. It wasn't his fault! The village said they would make use of that carcass! Besides, how was he supposed to know about the shards inside that dragon?

He didn't kill all those people.

It _wasn't_ his fault.

He had nothing to hide, and only took the shards so he wouldn't have people like Naofumi scolding him and failing to realize he wasn't to blame.

The only thing that did come easy was financial backing. Although Ren budgeted poorly at first and spent too much on suitable gear, the king's blessings for top quests and the rewards they received for each wave allowed for a comfortable living standard.

And now he was giving up that one perk.

Ren packed his luggage quietly. With his level in the mid-70s, he could easily lift it down the stairs of the inn without alerting anyone. He carried his things out and set them on the small trolley that his dragon would pull. Although it was dark, he'd fumbled around in the barn himself until his dragon was out and saddled up.

"Ready?" he asked Ragnarok.

Ragnarok nodded, as if able to understand the words and their meaning literally. The AI of the dragon was better than what he remembered from when _Brave Star Online_ was a game he could easily log out of.

Not that he spent much time raising monsters in the game. But he had a bunch of dragon shards. A rare, limited item like that didn't disappear when unlocking swords, and it would be a waste to not continue putting them to use. Once Ragnarok was fully grown, he could offer up a shard and see what stat boosts came from it.

"Heading out to raise your level?"

Ren flinched and whirled around. One of his party members stood at the inn door, watching him with an easy smile.

"Yes," Ren said. "Once your stats are high enough, I'll give you directions to this training area."

"I look forward to that. It must be an impressive monster, if you're going to head out in the dark to fight it. Do you need a light to bring with you?"

"I don't."

The words were too curt, but his party member kept smiling as he nodded and backed off.

When the inn door shut, Ren climbed atop Ragnarok and eased him forward. He'd only recently hatched the dragon's egg, having heard a rumor that dragons were more loyal if you carried their egg around until they hatched rather than buying one pre-trained. The dragon's level was still low, but he only needed it to carry his things far enough for no one to notice when he activated Teleport Sword.

The kings support was generous, and it let him be comfortable, but there were other ways to quickly make money.

Ren arrived on the streets of Zeltobe at a dangerous hour. In _Brave Star Online_'s lure, after dark, there were rampant assassination attempts in a bid to tip the scales of the various competitions in the arenas. He wasn't yet registered in any such contests, so he shouldn't trigger that event yet. He only needed to avoid others who might have triggered it.

He didn't make it halfway past the first building before this failed.

"Amazing! You appeared out of nowhere!"

Ren glanced back at a woman in a maid's outfit, then turned ahead and resumed walking.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! Who do you think you are?"

"I don't need to involve myself in shady characters."

"Wait! Let me see that sword you're carrying!"

Ren ignored the cosplay freak and kept walking until he reached an inn.

Because that woman had called attention to his sword, he changed its form to the smallest blade he had, practically a dagger, and tucked it under his jacket before entering. Without any reason to believe he was a person of note, the innkeeper charged him what he was assured was a low price for his room, and he made it upstairs and locked his door behind himself without issue.

Once he was settled into Zeltobe, he could be less cautious. For the time being, he needed to make sure no one from Melromarc followed him.

Naofumi was a nag, but he'd also been onto something. Whether or not he was right about the Shield Hero being innocent, Melromarc was suspicious. They shed one of their heroes too readily, and the blatant favoritism they showed Itsuki was annoying, if not unreasonable. That the suspicious king had arranged for their parties did make him uneasy. What was more, the church reported too strangely on its heroes, downplaying missteps that Naofumi chided Ren and Itsuki for while vilifying the Spear Hero, even though being a nag was the worst thing Naofumi had done. Its denouncements of Motoyasu also seemed more to do with the basic fact that Motoyasu was the Shield Hero and fled the country rather than that he _tried to rape someone_.

All of that had made Ren uneasy about his benefactor, but the final straw was the war.

Whether or not Naofumi was right and Motoyasu was innocent, Motoyasu was still a terrible person for launching a war campaign out of a personal grudge against Melromarc. It was his problem and his alone. Failing that, it was at least not _Ren's_ problem. He wasn't going to stick around a shady kingdom while it went up in flames.

Fleeing Melromarc as inconspicuously as he could, Ren hadn't slept yet that night. The sun was due to rise soon when he shed his armor and tucked it away inside his sword, then collapsed on the bed and was out in minutes.

-o-

Ren dragged himself out of bed late and ate lunch in the back corner of the inn's tavern. From there, he checked to make sure his sword was hidden before walking to a nearby stable.

Ragnarok his another growth spurt in the night. Already, the dragon was on the large side to ride over ground. Now, Ren could fit two people alongside him while riding in the air. The quick level grind to get the dragon to full size had been a success, even if it took a few more days past when he hit the minimum level for Ragnarok's growth to catch up. Now maybe the thing's terrifying appetite would slow down.

Well, when you actually lived in the world of a video game, sometimes it was like that. _Brave Star Online_ used cutting edge tech that let you taste the food you ate, but it didn't have nutrition requirements. Ren would never admit it, but if that one guy in his party never fed Ragnarok, he might not have realized the dragon even required food in the first place.

A dragon that size would be a hassle to lead around the city. Not inconspicuous at all. Worse, it might make him look like he couldn't handle things by his strength alone.

Ren retrieved a bag of dried meat that weighed nearly his own weight and laid it out for Ragnarok.

"I'll take you hunting once I've settled in," he promised.

"What a lovely dragon," a girl who had been tending one of the stalls said. "It's a shame to keep a beauty like this cooped up. Mind if I move her to an outdoor pen for the day? I promise not to let and stadium scouts put her in the ring."

Ragnarok was a high enough level to be fine against most adventurers, so it didn't matter if she got in any fights while he was away so long as they brought her back after.

"You and the dragon both do whatever you want."

With that, Ren turned to leave, but hesitated when he heard someone call out to him.

"Come back soon!"

The girl's voice was higher than before. Almost babyish. Ren shot the stable hand an annoyed look for taking such a patronizing tone with him on his was out the door.

That encounter left him in a bad mood. Ren had planned to spend the day learning Zeltobe's attitude towards the war and how likely anyone might be to sell him out, but instead he decided to inspect the arenas. He hadn't paid them much attention before, but they had plenty of solo tournaments, and if he wasn't going to take guild quests while keeping a low profile, then he could fight under an alias.

Black Thunder?

No… A name like that… Itsuki and Naofumi would definitely make jokes about it, even if it sounded cool.

Ren spent the afternoon watching matches and taking note of possible opponents. Late in the day, when a white tiger demi-human entered the arena, Ren realized that was the first demi-human fighter he'd seen all day. In _Brave Star Online_, Zeltobe was a multicultural hub where all types were common, yet it was almost as human-centric that day as Melromarc.

"Where did all the other demi-humans go?" Ren asked the nearest spectator.

"Hm? Well, there's still a few, but most that didn't go back to fight for Siltvelt were called back to Shieldfreeden. Rumor has it they're planning to join in the war if things look favorable."

"I see. This city opposes Melromarc." He was smart to get out before—

The man burst out in laughter. "No. No, no, no. The fighters who have some loyalties to their home nations might chose to go back and support them, but most of the men here are mercenaries. If we're promised a good enough reward from one side or the other, well, that might influence things, but why would the merchants pick a side when they can profit off of both? Ah… But rumor has it the Axe Hero might be participating in the fight. No one's seen him around lately. If Melromarc takes the help of any Seven Star Heroes, they'll have the whole world attacking them. Must've been Siltvelt that bought him. Makes sense. Melromarc's got three Holy Heroes who can fight on their side. The Axe would even the numbers out a little. I'm sure Ryner could wallop any of those freshly summoned kids."

"I heard he wasn't allowed to enter Melromarc for any reason," another man piped up. "Something about ensuring no one offered aide on the down low."

"Ha! You know Ryner would do it if Melromarc offered enough."

"Well, he might not be able to invade Melromarc, but he can certainly help keep them from pushing fights past the border. Or maybe he was hired to ensure no one attacks Siltvelt."

"Sounds dull."

"Sounds like free money. What's the point of marching the Shield Hero out to the front lines if not to keep attacks from breaking through? I wouldn't mind getting paid to sit back and drink with some troops left on standby."

Ren let the men continue to banter, but gleaned nothing more of value from their conversation.

Seven Star Hero? Axe Hero? _Brave Star Online_ had more weapons than the main four, but they weren't as strong or versatile as bows and swords and spears. The axes with longer range counted as pole arms that the spear could also use, and a lot of projectile weapons were accessible to the bow, save for things like throwing daggers that Ren could unlock. The staff might let you access more magic affinities, but there wasn't much difference in combat between magic types except that every now and then you encountered a monster with resistance to one element or another.

If there were heroes for every weapon category, then the fact that no one informed them when they were summoned was more evidence to Naofumi's claim that Melromarc wasn't trustworhty.

Ren spent the rest of the afternoon trying to casually ask about the Axe Hero and eventually gathered enough information to piece together that he was one of seven heroes that didn't require a summoning ritual, but was much weaker overall than the Holy Heroes.

Satisfied with that knowledge, he bought himself a cheap meal from a street vendor and ate as he headed back to his inn for the night.

Zeltobe mapped out perfectly like in _Brave Star Online_, and so Ren knew a number of shortcuts and alleys he could take to get back faster. As he turned off a main road onto one such shortcut, he caught a girl in a maid's outfit watching him,. When he hit his next turn, again he saw her at the corner of the street he'd come from. He ran through the next three turns and even changed paths, but each time he slowed to see if he lost his tail, he would see her run around the corner and then jump back out of sight when she realized he was watching.

What a terrible tail she was. Ren drew his sword and turned to confront her.

At first, he thought he might have to pursue, but then she stepped out from around the corner to face him. The weapon she'd drawn… A gun? There were no guns in _Brave Star Online_.

"Just who are you?" Ren demanded.

"That's the Holy Sword, isn't it? I thought so. You really were the Sword Hero. Imagine my luck. We came here hoping you might show up, and you appeared right in front of me. You're going to hand it over, right? It's wasted on a weakling like you anyway. As long as you agree that you're not the one true hero and give that sword away for a better cause, we'll let you go. You can even live under our protection. You can't let others see you until at least all of the Holy Weapons have been collected, but you'll be safe and comfortable. Apparently, at least one of the weaklings they summoned to make the Holy Weapons manifest has to live anyway."

The girl raised her gun and pointed it at Ren, mouth running a mile a minute as she practically spat her words.

"If not, then that's fine. One of the other heroes is already a candidate for survivor. If you don't submit, we'll crush you and take the sword by force."

"Over my dead body!"

"So be it!"

Ren was already on the move when she pulled the trigger. He darted to make aiming hard, but the bullet still grazed his arm. It shattered the armor, leaving a deep gouge that metal shards dug into, but he'd been Sword Hero long enough to be used to injuries. He reached the girl and swung, but she easily jumped away.

It all seemed fast to him, but her dodge was lax, as if he'd been moving like he was underwater.

The disparity made Ren hesitate. His level was in the high 60s already, and he knew from managing his party members' levels that his sword gave him better stats than the average person. He ought to be able to take on anyone in their 80s, and most people never bothered to level themselves, much less get past a class-up. Even in Zeltobe, most fighters couldn't afford the ceremony.

The maid, the girl who didn't at all dress like a serious fighter and had a cheat weapon that didn't belong in the game, pointed her gun at Ren again, and he raised his sword to hit her with a skill.

"Shooting Star—"

A twinkle from the corner of his vision was all the warning Ren had before his shoulder erupted in pain. Fiery ice shot from his shoulder all the way through his chest like needles while warmth ran down his side. He tried to grab his arm reflexively, but his left hand grasped air, then something soft, and came back coated in blood.

Ren staggered, thrown off balance in his attempt to turn and look at the injury. He slammed into a wall and barely felt it. Attempting to right himself, he tripped on something soft and slick. His chin slammed into the ground.

The stars flaring in his vision were the only things that weren't blurry. He felt again for the wound and found something that was wet and gaping and painful, but the location made no sense.

"That idiot made things too easy for us. The Sword Hero did exactly as he said."

Ren lifted his head as much as he had the strength to, but couldn't see past the knees of the people standing over him.

"Of course. I wouldn't have taken pity on that sad excuse for a hero of he weren't useful. Now let's see if he can draw the bow and spear out of a Melromarc too."

It hurt. It _hurt_. Why wasn't anyone helping him? Was the city so used to people fighting on the streets that they would ignore a person bleeding out?

"That old pig and that damn wolf made this such a hassle, getting you barred from entering the country, Takt-sama. We're lucky that two of the heroes decided to leave."

Ren couldn't process the words when they had no bearing on how he could survive. He poured his strength into turning his head to see the injury.

There was nothing past his pulverized shoulder.

No.

His sword arm was lying on the street, one foot hooked on it where he tripped. The hand that ought to hold the Holy Sword was empty.

"It's nothing a genius like myself can't work around. Taking advantage of that stupid shield holder was too easy. Like this, I'll have all four Holy Weapons in no time. I'll even let that guy live as a thank you. The loser will readily hand the shield over once he's done drawing the other heroes to me with it. This trash on the other hand…"

A foot slammed down between Ren's shoulder blades.

"He can burn in hell."

The pressure of that foot kicking off of him force more blood from his shoulder.

Ren screamed.

"Ren-rin!?"

"Crap! Is someone there?"

"Drifa Fire!"

Burning pain—no, actual burning—covered Ren's body.

"There. They won't even know whose corpse this is now."

That was the last thing Ren heard. Maybe his attackers left. Maybe they stayed to watch as he screamed and screamed. He only knew that in no time and an eternity, the world around him went black.

-x-

**STA:** Aaarg! I was so excited to put this chapter up yesterday, then I pulled up everything to post before signing out for the night and somehow didn't push the freaking post button OTL


End file.
